Heading into the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, Novak Djokovic was the clear-cut favourite to win the gold medal on the men’s side. But the No. 1 tennis player in the world suffered a shocking loss to eventual gold medalist Alexander Zverev before losing again to Pablo Carreño Busta to miss out on winning an Olympic medal altogether.
Now 37, Djokovic will attempt to avenge his 2020 Olympic outing at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. But with the Olympic tennis set to be played on clay courts for the first time since Barcelona ‘92, there’s no telling whether Djokovic can win (+300 via bet365), with players like Spanish phenom Carlos Alcaraz (+160 via bet365) playing the best tennis of their careers.
Discover everything you need to know about betting on men’s and women’s tennis during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics below, including tips on the Canadians who will be in action.
Canadians in the Men’s Olympic Tennis Field
Canadians didn’t have much to celebrate at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. Despite qualifying, men’s Canadian tennis players Milos Raonic, Denis Shapovalov, and Vasek Pospisil all declined to play. It left Félix Auger-Aliassime as the lone Canadian men’s player, and he lost to Max Purcell (Australia) in the second round.
There aren’t many Canadians in the men’s Olympic tennis field in 2024, either, but there are two who will try to make noise. Let’s take a look at their chances of winning.
Félix Auger-Aliassime (+8,000 via NorthStar Bets): Although he’s ranked No. 19 in the world, Auger-Aliassime has struggled through the first half of 2024. He got upset in the first round of the Mexican Open in February, lost in the second round of the Miami Open in March, and got knocked out in the first round at Wimbledon in July. The soon-to-be 24-year-old is one of the highest-ranked men’s Canadian players of all time, though, and he also managed to reach the finals of the 2024 Madrid Open on clay courts, so you may want to place a small wager on him in case he catches lightning in a bottle in Paris.
Milos Raonic (+20,000 via Sports Interaction): Back in November 2016, Raonic was No. 3 in the world, making him the highest-ranked men’s Canadian tennis player ever. But he has fallen from grace since then and now sits at No. 186. He had decent showings in 2024 at the Libéma Open and the Queen’s Club Championships, but the 33-year-old doesn’t look like a legitimate threat to win a match at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Outside of playing in the men’s singles tournament, Auger-Aliassime and Raonic will also team up to play in the men’s doubles tournament. They’ll be long shots to win it, but it’ll be nice for Canadians to see two of the best tennis players ever to emerge from their country taking the court together.
Best Outright Odds, Men’s Olympic Tennis
| Tennis Player | Sports Interaction | NorthStar Bets | bet365 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) | +150 | +140 | +162 |
| Jannik Sinner (Italy) | +300 | +225 | +275 |
| Novak Djokovic (Serbia) | +333 | +350 | +300 |
| Alexander Zverev (Germany) | +600 | +800 | +500 |
| Rafael Nadal (Spain) | +1100 | +800 | +800 |
| Casper Ruud (Norway) | +1400 | +1400 | +1200 |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Daniil Medvedev (Russia) | +2800 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Alex de Minaur (Australia) | +3300 | +3000 | +2500 |
| Holger Rune (Denmark) | +3300 | +2000 | +2500 |
| Hubert Hurkacz (Poland) | +5000 | +6600 | +6000 |
| Francisco Cerundolo (Argentina) | +6600 | +10000 | +6600 |
| Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) | +8000 | +7500 | +8000 |
| Félix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) | +8000 | +8000 | +10000 |
| Jack Draper (Great Britain) | +10000 | +20000 | +8000 |
Our Pick for the Men’s Olympic Tennis Field
Stefanos Tsitsipas (+2,000 via NorthStar Bets): There won’t be any shortage of tennis bettors wagering on the likes of Carlos Alcaraz or Rafael Nadal to win gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics, given their illustrious records at Roland Garros, and on clay overall (Nadal is an unbelievable 63-8 in tournament finals played on clay). But Alcaraz’s odds are prohibitively short, and the 38-year-old Nadal is limping toward the end of his career, so we think the smart money is elsewhere.
Why not roll the dice on a much younger player with a propensity for winning on clay? At 25, Stefanos Tsitsipas is 103-31 all-time on clay, including winning the title on clay at the Monte Carlo Masters in April. Tsitsipas, who is No. 12 in the world, also has plenty of experience playing on the biggest stages, having reached the French Open final in 2021 and the Australian Open final in 2023. Could the gold-medal match of the 2024 Olympics be next? Stay tuned.
While Novak Djokovic losing to Alexander Zverev at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games was surprising, to say the least, it didn’t hold a candle to the wild upset that took place on the women’s side. Ashleigh Barty (Australia), then the No. 1 women’s player in the world, lost to Sara Sorribes Tormo (Spain) in straight sets in the first round to get sent home without an Olympic win, much less a medal.
Could the world’s current No. 1 women’s tennis player, Iga Świątek (Poland), meet the same fate as Barty did back at the 2020 Olympics? That is not likely, but we would have said the same thing about Barty four years ago. Find out how we see the women’s side playing out below.
Félix Auger-Aliassime to win Gold Medal, Men’s Tennis
Canadians in the Women’s Olympic Tennis Field
Just like the men’s side, the women’s side didn’t give Canadians many chances to cheer during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. Bianca Andreescu withdrew from the Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving Leylah Annie Fernandez as the lone Canadian women’s singles player. Fernandez lost to Barbora Krejčíková (Czech Republic) in the Round of 32 and finished 17th overall at the event.
The women’s side will again be thin for Canada during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, but it will include more than one women’s singles player. Let’s check out the odds for these players.
Bianca Andreescu (+5,000 via bet365): Not many women’s tennis players can say they outplayed Serena Williams in two championship matches in the same year, but Andreescu did it back in 2019. She beat Serena in the U.S. Open and the Canadian Open to become the first women’s Canadian tennis player to win a major singles title. She was ranked as high as No. 4 globally, but since then, the 24-year-old has come crashing back down to earth and now sits at No. 172. Andreescu has enjoyed nice showings in 2024 with victories over the likes of Naomi Osaka and Linda Nosková, but she has endured injuries in recent years and still seems to have some rust to shake off.
Leylah Annie Fernandez (+12,500 via Sports Interaction): Fernandez was just 17 when she took to the court at the 2020 Summer Olympics and managed to earn a first-round win before getting bounced in the second round. That experience and the experience she earned when she helped Canada win its first-ever Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 could help her at the 2024 Summer Olympics. But even though the now-21-year-old is ranked No. 23 in the world, she’s still seen as a longshot to leave her mark on the Olympics. A first-round victory might be the ceiling.
In addition to playing in the women’s singles tournament, Fernandez is slated to pair with Gabriela Dabrowski in the women’s doubles tournament.
Best Outright Odds, Women’s Olympic Tennis
| Tennis Player | Sports Interaction | NorthStar Bets | bet365 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iga Świątek (Poland) | -200 | -175 | -188 |
| Coco Gauff (USA) | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) | +1000 | +1200 | +900 |
| Mirra Andreeva (Russia) | +1600 | +1600 | +1400 |
| Jasmine Paolini (Italy) | +2000 | +2200 | +2000 |
| Naomi Osaka (Japan) | +2000 | +1600 | +1400 |
| Qinwen Zheng (China) | +2000 | +2200 | +1800 |
| Danielle Collins (USA) | +2500 | +4000 | +2500 |
| Jeļena Ostapenko (Latvia) | +2500 | +3000 | +3300 |
| Barbora Krejčíková (Czech Republic) | +3300 | +4000 | +2200 |
| Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) | +4000 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Maria Sakkari (Greece) | +4000 | +4000 | +3300 |
| Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) | +5000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Emma Navarro (USA) | +5000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Jessica Pegula (USA) | +5000 | +6000 | +5000 |
Our Pick for the Women’s Olympic Tennis Field
Iga Świątek (-175 via NorthStar Bets): If you’re not familiar with Świątek’s game, here’s all you need to know about why we’re picking her — the obvious favourite — to win a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics: The No. 1 ranked women’s player in the world has won not one, not two, not three, but four French Opens. She won at Stade Roland Garros in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024. She has also gone 84-10 on clay throughout her career, including 21-1 in 2024. Even though her betting odds will make it difficult to win much money by taking her, it’s hard to imagine her doing anything other than breezing through the Olympics to capture another clay title.
