Olympic tennis tournament in Paris, 1st round, Sunday, 28.07.2024, 17:15
In 2021, we were able to celebrate a German Olympic champion – and this time? At the Olympic Games in Paris, we are looking for Alexander Zverev’s successor, and it is not necessarily thought that he will once again represent the colors black, red and gold.
Zverev’s compatriot Dominik Koepfer starts the tournament on Sunday, competing against a not quite fit veteran and is therefore the favorite. In my Raonic Koepfer tip, I’ll tell you what makes me bet on a tiebreak here
For the second time since 2021, when he reached the round of 16, Dominik Koepfer is now taking part in the Olympic Games. The goal: not to be eliminated right at the start and then take everything he can.
The 30-year-old has concentrated heavily on his doubles performances in recent months, while not every match in the singles competition has been a feast for the eyes. Of course, this also has to do with the fact that Koepfer regularly has to deal with injuries.
Wimbledon? It took place without him, one day before the start of the tournament an ankle injury forced him to retire. Of course, this begs the question: how fit is this Dominik Koepfer anyway?
“I’m not missing out on the Olympics,” Koepfer is quoted as saying. This means that, regardless of his health, the Olympic opportunity comes so rarely that everything has to be tried
Since the Furtwangen native is also listed in the doubles (together with Jan-Lennard Struff), he will again have to weigh up which competition means how much to him. After all, the match will be played at the French Open.
Although the German was eliminated in the first round a few weeks ago, a 3-6, 4-6, 7-5, 3-6 defeat to top star Daniil Medvedev was certainly not considered a failure.
A little later in Stuttgart, he was eliminated after match number two, with a total of four tiebreaks. The world number 63 can upset the world’s best on a good day, but on others he also loses clearly to outsiders
The left-hander definitely has a size disadvantage in his first round in Paris, because at 1.80 meters he is a whole 16 centimetres shorter than Milos Raonic. Has that ever been a factor in a direct comparison?
The two have only met directly once before in 2021, when Koepfer clearly won 6-4, 6-2. He is also the favorite of our bookmakers this time, with Betano, for example, offering average odds of 1.45 to 2.85.
On top of that, you can also benefit from the lucrative Betano bonus code. Milos Raonic naturally knows exactly how Dominik Koepfer has felt in recent months with regard to his injuries.
The former Grand Slam finalist was one of the world’s best before his own body set him back a long way. He is now ranked at number 178 in the world rankings and is now 33 years old.
He knows the Olympic feeling from the 2012 Games in London, when he was defeated by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Admittedly, there hasn’t been much in recent months to encourage Raonic to perform strongly in 2024.
After having to retire in Indian Wells at the beginning of March, the Canadian only returned to the court a good three months later in Hertogenbosch. He beat Jordan Thompson and Roberto Bautista-Agut there before losing to Alex de Minaur.
A glimmer of hope that also lasted in Queens. 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 against Cameron Norrie and 6-7, 4-6 against Taylor Fritz, these results were definitely worth seeing! You will certainly notice the many tiebreaks.
Not unusual for the 1.96 meter tall Raonic, who only conceded one break in these two matches. Unfortunately, it’s hard to predict how the 33-year-old will perform on clay
My Raonic Koepfer tip
Can Dominik Koepfer keep the German flag flying for longer than expected in the singles? He doesn’t seem to be really fit, but the pain will be forgotten for the Olympics. A mindset that has probably also prevailed with Milos Raonic.
Although the Canadian is back and has also achieved strong results on grass, clay is a completely different ball game for him. As neither of them are in great form and Raonic in particular is an excellent server, my tip is as follows:
A tiebreak is inevitable!
