Can anyone stop Djokovic winning gold? Plus What Happens Next? and more

Bayern striker Joshua Zirkzee has rounded the keeper in a pre-season fixture against Ajax and has a completely open goal, and surely no way of missing the target - What Happens Next?

CAN ANYONE STOP NOVAK DJOKOVIC'S MARCH FOR THE GOLD MEDAL?

World Number 1 Novak Djokovic is continuing relentlessly to his goal of becoming the first man to win the calendar Golden Slam, with the reigning champion of the first three Grand Slams of the season now aiming to secure an elusive gold medal - which would leave him requiring to win the US Open later this year to complete the incredible accomplishment, and perhaps set himself apart as the greatest tennis player of all time after emulating Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer's Grand Slam hauls of 20 at Wimbledon earlier this month.

We look at the full quarter-final lineup tomorrow morning and odds, examining who (if anyone) has a chance of grabbing the gold medal ahead of the Serbian.

K. Khachanov (Russia) v Ugo Humbert (France), 7am

France's Humbert will be full of confidence after beating world number 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the previous round, and will now face a former top-15 player in Khachanov, who has been very inconsistent in recent times, but at his best has a fantastic powerful game, and will be gaining confidence with each win.

As this will be the first H2H meeting between these two, it is a very difficult match to predict, but it will likely be tightly contested with both players having equal chances of reaching the semis. However, neither player would be expected to be of serious threat to Djokovic if they were to face him. 

On the spreads, we have Match Sup: Kha/Hum at -1.5-1.5, Total Games at 23.6 - 24.6, and X-Courts at 57-62. On the fixed odds, both players are at 9/10 to win the match.

P. Carreno Busta (Spain) v D Medvedev (Russia), 8am

World number 2 Medvedev is likely the most dangerous player for Djokovic from the remaining players in the draw, but he will need to overcome a tricky test against Spaniard Carreno Busta. Both players have only dropped 1 set so far each in the 3 matches they have played, but Medvedev has won 3 of the 4 H2Hs between these two and will fancy his chances to extend his positive record.

Although in controversial circumstances, it was of course Carreno Busta who defeated Djokovic by default in the 2020 US Open, and the Spaniard may well face a rematch if he wins here. However, this matchup would only possibly happen in the final.

On the spreads, we have Match Sup: Match Sup: Med/Car at 8-11, Total Games at 22.9 - 23.9, and X-Courts at 53-58. On the fixed odds, Medvedev is at 2/7, and Carreno Busta is at 13/5 to win the match.

N. Djokovic (Serbia) v K. Nishikori (Japan), 8am

With the events in Tokyo lacking spectators, Djokovic will be pleased considering the support that home favourite Kei Nishikori would have received. However, the H2H record would suggest that beating the Serb has proved to be a lost cause for the Japanese player. Having played each other (or been drawn to) on 20 occasions, Nishikori has only managed to secure victory on 2 occasions!

As such, this seems to be a foregone conclusion already (on paper), but Nishikori will surely be boosted by the motivation of playing at home and potentially winning an Olympic medal in his home country - something he will never get the chance to do again.

In terms of the odds, on the spreads we have Match Sup: Djo/Nis at 15-17, with Total Points at 126-131 and X-Courts at 43-48. On the fixed odds, Djokovic is a heavy favourite at 1/20, with Nishikori at 15/2.

A. Zverev (Germany) v J Chardy (France), 9am

The final match will be played between Germany's Zverev and French veteran Chardy, who beat Britain's Liam Broady in the previous round. Although Zverev has faced a favourable draw so far, he is the only player (alongside Djokovic) who has yet to drop a set.

He has also beaten Djokovic before in high-profile events and finals, such as at the World Tour Finals, but he will need to face the Serbian in the semi-finals if he gets past Chardy here. For the Frenchman, on the other hand, anything past this point will be a bonus, with the 34-year-old not playing with any pressure or expectation.

It would seem to be a tall order to grab a victory over Zverev here though, with Chardy only winning 1 of the 5 H2H matches, and with that one being their first meeting in 2015, when Zverev's career was just beginning. In terms of the odds, on the spreads we have Match Sup: Zve/Cha at 12.5-15.5, with Zverev Points at 72-76 and Total Points at 132-136. On the fixed odds, Zverev is at 1/9, with Chardy at 11/2.

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