The Tokyo 2020 champion, Alexander Zverev, saw his hopes of winning consecutive Olympic singles gold medals dashed by Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets at the Paris Games.
Zverev, aiming to become only the second man to achieve back-to-back Olympic singles titles, fell to the 11th-seeded Musetti with a score of 7-5, 7-5. This loss leaves Germany without a medal in the tennis tournament at Paris 2024.
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From the outset on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, the world No. 4 found himself under immense pressure, losing his opening service game as Musetti launched an aggressive attack. Although Zverev managed to level the score at 5-5, he was unable to maintain his serve, ultimately surrendering the first set without forcing a tiebreak.
The match was played in sweltering conditions, with Zverev taking a changeover break to cool off with a bag of ice on his head. The second set remained tightly contested until the eleventh game, where Musetti’s aggressive play once again overwhelmed Zverev. Musetti broke serve to lead 6-5 and then confidently served out the match to love.
Zverev’s performance was below his usual standard, marred by 29 unforced errors and four double faults. His defeat ensures that Great Britain’s Andy Murray, who plans to retire after the Paris Games, remains the only player to have successfully defended an Olympic singles title, having won gold in London 2012 and Rio 2016.
Musetti now advances to face either Novak Djokovic or Stefanos Tsitsipas for a spot in the gold-medal match.
