Spanish World No. 2 tennis player Carlos Alcaraz won the Indian Wells title for the second time after defeating Daniil Medvedev on Sunday. But Alcaraz's journey to defend his title was full of challenges. The young Spaniard, who has been struggling with an ankle problem, faced a tough battle against Medvedev in the final.

Also Read: 'I can't lie to myself and lie to the thousands of fans.' - Rafael Nadal withdraws from 2024 Paribas Open

"Winning this tournament means a lot to me because the week before the tournament began, I had a lot of doubts. I remember my first practice, it was 30 minutes, no movement. It was really tough for me because I thought I was not going to play my best, I was not feeling well with my ankle, so a lot of doubts for me. Once I stepped on to the court, I started to feel better. As I said after every match, it was feeling better and better, so really happy to win the tournament." Alcaraz said after Indian Wells final.

Alcaraz made a spectacular comeback after a difficult opening set in the Indian Wells final match. Medvedev was leading 6-5 in this set. However, Alcaraz bounced back through the tie-break to take a 7-5 lead. The story of the match looked different in the second set and Alcaraz defeated the world No. 4 to win his first title of the year. This is also his first title win since Wimbledon last summer.

Also Read: Last 10 Wimbledon Champions List (Men's)

"After every match I was feeling better. I was getting more confident after every match. Winning a Master 1000 again, a really important tournament to win, gives you motivation to keep going." Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in a three-set semifinal after needing three sets to get out of his second-round match.

The 20-year-old Spaniard was returning from an ankle injury which forced him to retire from his opening match at the Rio Open last month. "I had a lot of nerves. It was difficult to start, but I started to play better. I calmed myself and controlled my emotions." Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz is only the sixth player to successfully defend the Indian Wells crown. He is also the first player since Novak Djokovic in 2016 to win Indian Wells twice in a row.

"It's definitely your court, you like it here. Hopefully you can one day let me play a little bit better here." Medvedev told Alcaraz during the victory ceremony.

The Paris Olympics 2024 men’s tennis draw is on the table and Two-time Olympic gold medalist Rafael Nadal will meet Hungary’s Marton Fuscovics, in Round 1. Nadal enters the tournament unseeded and is set to play his last Olympic games. There is a high possibility that he could play world No. 2, Novak Djokovic in the second round.

Read Also: Paris Olympics 2024 Men's Singles Seed announced

Novak Djokovic is likely making his last Olympic Games appearance and will be searching for his first gold medal. Djokovic won singles bronze at Beijing 2008 but a gold medal is the one prize he doesn't have won in his historic career. 

The Serbian, seeded No. 1, is set to face Australia’s Matthew Ebden. Ebden received a last-minute entry into the Games after Holger Rune announced his withdrawal from the men’s singles event on Wednesday due to his wrist injury.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, seeded No. 2, will begin his debut Olympic campaign against Lebanon’s Hady Habib. 20-year-old Alcaraz enters the tournament as the world ranked No. 3 and is the most in-form player in the world right now. He recently won both the 2024 French Open and Wimbledon titles. 

Reigning Olympic men’s champion Alexander Zverev will face Spain’s Jaume Munar in the first round. Zverev won gold in Tokyo after thrashing Khachanov in the final. He is also in form but has failed to clinch a single title this year after reaching three finals.

World No 1 Jannik Sinner was set to be the top seed in the men’s singles draw, and in the men’s doubles draw alongside fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti. But he pulled out due to illness. He is going to be a huge miss. Denmark’s Holger Rune and Poland's Hubert Hurkacz will also miss the Men's Singles. Two-time gold medalist Andy Murray pulled out from Singles before the seeding and said that he would only compete in the men’s doubles event. 

Read Also: Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Day -1 (25th July) LIVE Updates - Dhiraj Bommadevara stars for India with 681 points as India qualifies for quarter-finals in team and mixed events

Men's Singles Tennis draw for Paris Olympics 2024

World No 1 Jannik Sinner was set to be the top seed in the men’s singles draw, and in the men’s doubles draw alongside fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti. In Sinner's absence, Novak Djokovic is set to be the top seed in Men's singles at the Paris Olympics 2024. The brackets will feature 64 players, resulting in 16 seeded players. To win the gold, one must win six matches. The top 16 pre-seeded players won't face each other in the first two rounds. The players from the same country also cannot face each other in the first two rounds.

Read Also: Last 10 Wimbledon Champions List (Men's)

Paris Olympics 2024 Men's Singles Seed

Novak Djokovic is likely making his last Olympic Games appearance and will be searching for his first gold medal. Djokovic won singles bronze at Beijing 2008 but a gold medal is the one prize he doesn't have won in his historic career.

The favourite for the gold is world No 3 and third seed, Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz is making his Olympic Games debut and coming after winning the French Open and Wimbledon, making him the most in-form player on tour.

Alexander Zverev is also a contender for the gold. World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev will compete as an authorized neutral athlete and is projected to be the fifth seed.

Men’s singles seeds (as of 22 July 2024)

1. 1) Jannik Sinner, Italy
2. Novak Djokovic, Serbia
3. Carlos Alcaraz, Spain
4. Alexander Zverev, Germany
5. Daniil Medvedev, Authorised Neutral Athlete
6. Alex de Minaur, Australia
7. Casper Ruud, Norway
8. Taylor Fritz, United States
9. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Greece
10. Tommy Paul, United States
11. Ugo Humbert, France
12. Holger Rune, Denmark
13. Lorenzo Musetti, Italy
14. Sebastian Baez, Argentina
15. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Canada
16. Arthur Fils, France

The life of a professional athlete is one of precision. Despite the capacity for careful calculation, they understand there will always be elements beyond their control. This may be why many athletes lean just as much on their pregame rituals as they do on their months of preparation. Because in the seconds before the big match, tournament, or race, who wouldn’t want any help they could get? Let's take a look at the top superstitions at Paris Olympics 2024 that will help athletes get competition-ready.

Also Read: Most Olympic Games without any medal: Monaco, Myanmar and Bangladesh in top 30

Superstitions at Paris Olympics 2024

Nadal's on-court tennis rituals

Rafael Nadal is well-known for his many behaviours, both superstitious and routine. The on-court routine of Rafael Nadal has been among the most discussed topics in tennis. In almost every match, the Spaniard takes a sip of each of his two bottles and places them in a certain position. He meticulously arranges his water bottles so that the labels face the same direction. He also follows a strict sequence of actions, such as not touching the court lines and performing a specific routine with his shirt, hair, and face before serving a shot.

Naomi Osaka and her superstitions about bottles

Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka wants her water bottles to be completely aligned. She believes most athletes have very strong superstitions. Like Nadal, her ritual revolves around the precise arrangement of the bottles, making sure they are facing the same direction and placed in a specific order.

Also Read: All-time Olympic medal tally: USA top with 2,629 medals; India placed at 58

Daniil Medvedev's eating habits

Daniil Medvedev also has the “crazy” rituals. He had one rigid routine that he followed before every match. Although Medvedev is pretty flexible when it comes to switching up his routines, he admitted there was one thing he always had to keep the same and couldn’t do even one second too late, which is his eating habits. Medvedev always eats exactly 2 hours and 30 minutes before his matches.

Gianmarco Tamberi's signature look

Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi known for his beard, which is half shaved, has been his signature style since 2011. Tamberi won the European Athletics Championships in Rome. After the competition, when he was presented with his gold medal during the awards ceremony, he stepped on the podium with his beard fully shaven. Tamberi has been ranked as the No. 1 high jumper in Europe for 135 weeks. He will carry the Italian flag at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

Carissa Moore's husband wears her lucky socks

American surfer Carissa Moore, a five-time world champion, has a unique superstition that relies not on herself but on her boyfriend. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion firmly believes that her boyfriend's socks bring her good fortune on the waves.

Also Read: How many sports will there be at the Paris Olympics 2024? Which are the new ones?

Vashti Cunningham watches 'Kill Bill'

Vashti Cunningham, the American high jumper watches Kill Bill, the night before every competition. She also does Bible study along with her father before going out and getting ready for warm-up and jumping.

Novak Djokovic moved one win closer to capturing a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title when he ended 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti's dream in straight sets and sought revenge on defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final. Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz match will be the rematch of last year's final which the Spaniard won in five sets.

Also Read: Most Grand Slam finals in tennis history

If the 37-year-old Serbian wins a record-tying 25th major on Sunday, he will become the oldest champion in Wimbledon history. Djokovic, leading Alcaraz 3-2 in the ATP head2head series, will be eager to avenge that defeat and equal Roger Federer's record eight Wimbledon crowns.

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz Match Info

• Men's Singles Final: July 14, Sunday
• Venue: AELTC Wimbledon Qualifying and Community Sports Ground
• Location: London, England
• Court Surface: Grass

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz head-to-head

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz: Form against each other

In the past two years against one another, Djokovic has three wins and Alcaraz has one. In their last match, on November 18, 2023, Djokovic won 6-3, 6-2. Djokovic has clinched nine sets against Alcaraz (64.3%), while Alcaraz has taken five. In 136 total games against one another, Djokovic has taken 77, while Alcaraz has claimed 59. When going head-to-head, Alcaraz and Djokovic have averaged 34 games and 3.5 sets in their four matches against each other.

Djokovic's 2024 performance

Djokovic has captured zero tournament victories on the year, with an overall record of 16-6. In 2024, Djokovic hasn't yet played a match on grass. He is averaging 27.3 games per match (33.2 in best-of-five matches) through his 22 matches played this year across all court surfaces, posting a 57.7% game-winning percentage. Djokovic has put up a service game-winning percentage of 82.1% on all surfaces (247-for-301 in service games) and a return game-winning percentage of 33.1% (99-for-299 in return games).

Also Read: Most Matches Played in Grand Slam

Alcaraz's 2024 performance

Alcaraz has won two of his nine tournaments this year, with an overall match record of 32-6. He has a match record of 7-1 on grass courts so far this year. Alcaraz has competed in 38 matches this year (across all court types), and 26.6 games per match (34.4 in best-of-five matches). The World No. 3 has won 35.6% of his return games this year, while also winning 83.5% of his service games.

The full list of entrants for the Paris Olympics 2024 Tennis Event has been confirmed on Thursday at Wimbledon by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), organizer of the event on behalf of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024: Indian athletes who qualified for the Paris 2024

The Paris Olympics 2024 will be held on clay at the Roland Garros Stadium over nine days, from 27 July to 4 August. It will be played on 12 competition courts, with six more for training. The Philippe-Chatrier stadium, which can seat 15,000, and the Suzanne-Lenglen stadium, which can hold 9,000, will be the main courts and both have retractable roofs.

Lebanon makes its Olympic debut

A total of 41 nations will be represented, with 184 players competing in five events (men's and women's singles, doubles, and mixed doubles). Lebanon will make its debut in the competition. Sixty-four players will compete in both singles events, while 32 teams will contest both doubles events. Entries for the 16-team mixed doubles event will be determined on July 24.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray lead the list

The men's and women's singles rosters feature top players such as world No. 1 players Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina. The lists also include other former Olympic champions such as Rafa Nadal, a singles and doubles gold medalist, as well as two-time singles gold medalist Andy Murray and Beijing 2008 doubles gold medalist Stan Wawrinka. 

There is a limit of four singles players per gender and country. Nations have also been able to nominate up to two doubles teams per event, with a maximum of six players per gender per country in total.

Under the ITF Ranking System, all players must be in good standing with their national federation and have met the eligibility requirements for the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. Any player who did not meet this criteria could have had his or her national federation apply for an exemption from the ITF Olympic Committee. The ATP and WTA rankings as of June 10 were used for entry.

Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024: IOA's members to get allowance of $300 per day, players to get $50

For men's and women's doubles, the top 24 teams were selected on a combined singles or doubles ranking, with the top 10 doubles players eligible to enter directly with any partner with a Top 300 ranking. In accordance with IOC player quota regulations, for the remaining eight teams priority was given to teams that included two singles players, followed by teams that included one singles player.

Entries for the mixed doubles event, which will feature 16 teams, will be determined on-site from players already competing in singles or doubles, with a maximum of one team per country. Registration closes at 11:00 local time (09:00 GMT) on Wednesday 24 July and the ITF will announce the entry list shortly afterward.

Check out the full entry list of Paris Olympics 2024 here