Historic Russian Doubles Match: Medvedev and Others Forming Duos for Olympics?

On April 7th, at the Monte Carlo Masters tournament, an intriguing doubles match is set to take place. Daniil Medvedev and Roman Safiullin will face Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev in the first round of the tournament. This Russian derby indicates a potential preparation for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, scheduled from late July to early August. This shift in focus to doubles play is evident, especially in the case of Medvedev, who has not played doubles since the Halle 2022 event where he partnered with Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Safiullin, on the other hand, has been more actively participating in doubles competitions this year with partners like Aslan Karatsev and Serbian player Miomir Kecmanovic. Moreover, Medvedev and Safiullin teamed up for the ATP Cup 2022, securing three wins in the group stage against French, Australian, and Italian opponents but falling short in the semifinals to Canadian duo Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov.

Khachanov and Rublev are no strangers to doubles play, having won the Madrid Masters in 2023 and holding individual Olympic medals from the Tokyo 2020 Games in 2021. While they have been successful individually and in mixed doubles at the Olympics, Russian tennis players have never secured a medal in the men's doubles event at the Games. Will this change in Paris 2024? There are promising signs, given Russia’s past successes in team competitions like the Davis Cup.

Russian tennis legend Yevgeny Kafelnikov is the only Russian to have won Grand Slam titles in men's doubles, achieving this feat with international partners. His triumphs at the French Open in 1996 and 1997 and the US Open in 1997 were achieved alongside Czech player Daniel Vacek, while he captured another French Open title in 2002 partnering with Paul Haarhuis from the Netherlands.

Kafelnikov's success extended to Masters events where he claimed seven titles, including the Montreal Masters in 1995 with Andrei Olhovskiy and victories in Rome, Monte Carlo, Indian Wells, and Hamburg with different partners. With a solid collection of doubles titles, Kafelnikov's achievements serve as inspiration for the current generation of Russian players aiming for success in doubles competitions.

The tennis tournament at the 2024 Olympics in Paris will take place at Roland Garros from July 27th to August 4th, featuring matches on clay courts. Medvedev's decision to focus on doubles on this surface reflects the strategic considerations ahead of the upcoming Games. As for Khachanov and Rublev, their established partnership indicates a strong foundation for future success in the doubles format.