A smorgasbord of tennis action kicks off this weekend in Paris, with the 2024 Summer Olympics hosting a range of different events. One event catching fans’ eyes in particular is the men’s doubles, with the Olympics creating some fascinating partnerships striving for gold over the next week.
From the super Spanish combination of Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, to the next generation of French tennis in Arthur Fils and Ugo Humbert plus the final dance of Andy Murray alongside Dan Evans, there’s plenty to see in the men’s doubles. Read on as we break down just who is playing, which pairs are favorites to win gold, and what our predictions are heading into the men’s doubles tennis at the Paris Olympics.
Who’s Playing in the Men’s Doubles Tennis at the Paris Olympics?
Doubles at the Olympics is particularly fascinating for two reasons. First, many of the most dominant partnerships cannot compete, because both players must be from the same country. Second, a disproportionate number of singles stars have been drawn to the event in pursuit of gold as well, leading to a stacked field.
Because of this, understanding who is favorite in the men’s doubles at the 2024 tennis Olympics is a challenge. We’ll unpack this question by first looking at the tournament’s seeding, then the big unseeded pairs, as well as the bookmakers’ odds.
Men’s Doubles Olympics Tennis Seeds
Here are the top eight seeds in the men’s doubles tennis event at the Olympics:
- Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori (Italy)
- Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz (Germany)
- Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul (United States)
- Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram (United States)
- Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski (Great Britain)
- Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni (Argentina)
- Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic (Croatia)
- Arthur Fils and Ugo Humbert (France)
The seeds this year are dominated by doubles specialists, with all but third seeds Fritz/Paul and eighth seeds Fils/Humbert primarily playing doubles only.
Notable Unseeded Pairings
However, a number of strong partnerships have been formed between singles players in a bid for gold. These may not make the seeding, but are worth taking note of. Here are a few that catch the eye:
- Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
- Andy Murray and Dan Evans (Great Britain)
- Stefanos Tsitsipas and Petros Tsitsipas (Greece)
- Felix Auger-Aliassime and Milos Raonic (Canada)
- Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin (Australia)
- Luciano Darderi and Lorenzo Musetti (Italy)
- Nicolas Jarry and Alejandro Tabilo (Chile)
- Daniil Medvedev and Roman Safiullin (Independent)Â
These pairings all speak for themselves. From the star power of Nadal and Alcaraz, to the potential synergy of De Minaur and Popyrin, there are some excellent unseeded combinations heading into this event.
Men’s Doubles Olympics Tennis Odds
This begs the question: who’s the best chance of winning in Paris? Well, here’s what bookmakers say in the latest men’s doubles tennis odds for the Olympics:
- Nadal/Alcaraz @ 3.10 | +210
- Vavassori/Bolelli @ 8.00 | +700
- Ram/Krajicek @ 9.50 | +850
- Reboul/Roger-Vasselin @ 11.00 | +1000
- Pavic/Mektic @ 11.00 | +1000
Tennis bookmakers have a heavy favorite to prevail this week, and it’s Nadal/Alcaraz. The Spaniards pay a low 3.10 (+210) to win gold, well ahead of their next closest rivals. Vavassori/Bolelli come in next at 8.00 (+700), with Ram/Krajicek not far behind on 9.50 (+850). Both Reboul/Roger-Vasselin and Pavic/Mektic round out the top five betting favorites at 11.00 (+1000) to go all the way.
If you want to bet on these matches we recommend PariMatch for UK bettors.
If you want to bet on these matches we recommend FanDuel fur US bettors.
Favorites to Win the Men’s Doubles Tennis Olympics
You’ve seen the seeding, the big names, and the bookies’ odds. Now, it’s time for our picks. Here’s who we say are the pairs to watch out for in the men’s doubles this week.
Alcaraz and Nadal
Bookmakers are backing Alcaraz and Nadal to win for good reason. The younger Spaniard is in red-hot form, with Alcaraz having just won the French Open and Wimbledon back to back. Given that this event is being played back at Roland-Garros, this heavily favors Alcaraz.
Speaking of players who have decent records in Paris, Nadal has won the French Open 14 times at this very venue. Sure, the 38-year-old is past his prime, but last week’s run in Bastad was promising. The 22-time Grand Slam champion won four matches in a row to make the final, also making the semi-finals alongside Casper Ruud in the doubles.
The success of Alcaraz and Nadal comes down to two factors. Firstly, Nadal’s fitness. There’s a recent question mark over that, with the Spaniard wearing heavy strapping on his thigh and missing several practice sessions this week.
Secondly, Alcaraz’s ability to adapt. The 21-year-old hasn’t played a lot of doubles in his career, and while he’s mature, playing alongside Nadal has the potential to place quite a bit of pressure on his shoulders. It would be no surprise if this was a little too much, and led to some erratic play or lack of synergy between the two.
Pavic and Mektic
If Nadal and Alcaraz can’t find their way to a gold medal, then we say that Pavic and Mektic will be there to pounce.
The Croatian pair were once a powerhouse combination in the doubles world, and are back together to defend the gold medal they won in Tokyo. The duo sat top of the world four years ago, winning almost every event they entered. While it’s been several years since they played together regularly, Pavic and Mektic have continued their winning ways in other pairs on the doubles circuit.
Overall, they have 38 and 28 titles each, with Pavic ranked No 3 in the world for doubles right now and Mektic at No 26. Both have won three tournaments in 2024, and will be a force to be reckoned with at the Olympics.
Men’s Doubles Tennis Olympics Dark Horses
Those who are considering betting on the men’s doubles this Olympics might want to look at a few of the underdog pairings. Here are two that we think could punch above their weight in Paris.
De Minaur and Popyrin
There’s something about this Australian duo that just screams Olympic medal. Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin and both fine singles players, with De Minaur sitting inside the world’s top 10 and Popyrin a regular in the top 50.
De Minaur made the quarter-finals of the French Open, putting together the best clay season of his career. Popyrin had a tougher time, but has an impressive serve and a classic Aussie battler mentality that will gel well in the doubles format.
Jarry and Tabilo
Speaking of big serves that are made for doubles, Nicolas Jarry and Alejandro Tabilo are another great dark horse pairing at the Olympics. Admittedly, Jarry hasn’t been in the best of form in recent months, but it wasn’t that long ago that he made the final of the Rome Masters on clay.
Tabilo, meanwhile, has had a breakout season, winning two titles in 2024 and cracking the world’s top 20 for the first time. His vicious topspin forehand and great movement will combine well with Jarry’s serve and hands at the net. It’s not on many bookmaker’s radars, but we say the Chilean pair could make a deep run and turn a few heads in Paris.
