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Djokovic hoping to complete final chapter in grand résumé with gold

After a string of withdrawals from the Rio tennis field, we can finally concentrate on who will be there. That starts with world No. 1s Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams.

They're the favorites to win gold, but certainly not guaranteed the ultimate hardware just yet.

Here are our top 10 storylines to follow before action kicks off on the hard courts of Brazil:

1. Will Novak Djokovic complete his career Golden Slam?

For years, he toiled in Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's shadows, whether at the Olympics or at any other event. And now this five-ring circus, with its tennis tournament to be played on his favored hard courts, offers Djokovic the opportunity to eclipse both his rivals with a gold. Just a couple of months after completing his career Grand Slam at the French Open (and a month after losing in the third round at Wimbledon), Djokovic could turn his collection golden by winning the Olympic title.

Victory in Brazil would give him the most complete portfolio of prizes in this era, as he would then have captured all four majors, the Olympic singles title, the Davis Cup and the year-end championships. The Serb has a tricky first-round match, though, against 2009 US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro.

2. How will Rafael Nadal fare?

For a while, we weren't sure what the Spaniard's involvement in Rio would be. Would he just carry his country's flag into the opening ceremony? Maybe he'd play the two doubles events, or would he go for it all and add singles to his list of endeavors? Nadal chose the most arduous path, announcing he would insert himself into all three draws. He will take the court for the first time since withdrawing from the third round of Roland Garros because of a wrist injury that caused him to miss Wimbledon as well. However, Nadal said that he won't be at his "best level" at the Games. We shall see.

3. Will Serena Williams and/or Andy Murray become the first player(s) to retain gold?

No one could ever accuse Williams or Murray of being blasé about Olympic tennis. Just recall Williams' dancing on the Wimbledon grass in 2012 after demolishing Maria Sharapova in the gold-medal match. As for Murray, winning the Olympic transformed himself as a player. No one has ever repeated as Olympic champion, but both reigning Wimbledon champs could each accomplish this feat.

4. How will the Williams sisters and Murray brothers fare?

With defending men's doubles champions Bob and Mike Bryan missing the Games, it falls to the Williamses and the Murrays to show what siblings can accomplish together. Of the two pairings, it's the Williams sisters who are most likely to end up standing on a podium. Serena and Venus will be defending the title they won in London in 2012, and they're coming off a Wimbledon title. Murray, meanwhile, has had some success recently with his brother, Jamie, with last year's run to the Davis Cup title. However, their past record at the Olympics is less than spectacular, with early defeats in both Beijing and London.

5. What's in store for Leander Paes, who's playing his seventh Olympics?

Paes has competed in every Summer Games since Barcelona in 1992. His seventh appearance is a record by a tennis player. But even after all those appearances, Paes is still chasing his first doubles medal. Will the 43-year-old doubles specialist -- who won a singles bronze medal in Atlanta 20 years ago -- have some success alongside Rohan Bopanna?

6. Will Martina Hingis win her first Olympic medal?

Hingis has been unlucky with both her doubles partners this year, Roger Federer, who pulled out with a knee injury, in mixed, and Belinda Bencic, both withdrawing from the Games. Hingis could potentially have won a gold medal in both competitions. Although she won't now be competing in the mixed-doubles competition, the Swiss has teamed up with No. 15-ranked Timea Bacsinszky in women's doubles.

7. Can Juan Martin del Potro create an epic upset?

The Argentine stunned Stan Wawrinka in the second round of Wimbledon, which should give him confidence heading into the Games. However, del Potro did not receive much luck from the draw gods when they unveiled world No. 1 Djokovic as his opening-round opponent in Rio. Djokovic is 11-3 lifetime against del Potro, but the last time they met on Olympic grounds (2012 London), the Argentine beat him in the bronze medal match.

8. Will Garbine Muguruza re-launch her season in Rio?

Since scoring her first major at the French Open -- where she beat Serena in the final -- the Spaniard has been quiet. She lost in the opening round of a pre-Wimbledon tournament in Mallorca and then won just one match at the All England Club. Muguruza then withdrew from Montreal last week just minutes before her first match after feeling "weird" and complaining of illness. A singles medal would reboot her season, though Muguruza could also win medals in women's doubles and mixed (with partner Nadal).

9. Can Angelique Kerber channel her inner Steffi Graf?

Kerber's victory at the Australian Open made her the first German woman to win a Grand Slam singles title since Graf. And now, Kerber, the runner-up to Serena at Wimbledon, can match Graf by becoming the second German Olympic tennis champion. One thing is certain: There won't be as much pressure on Kerber in Rio as there was on Graf when she arrived in Seoul in 1988. Having already won all four majors that season, Graf had the chance to accomplish the Golden Slam in one year ... and she did just that.

10. Will an underdog surprise us?

Four of the top 10 men's singles players, and two of the top 10 women, won't be in Rio, which certainly opens the door for many. And when you look at some of the gold medal winners since tennis was reinstated as an Olympic sport -- Nicolas Massu, Marc Rosset, Elena Dementieva -- there's no reason to think a less-established player won't come through. Although Serena and Djokovic might have something to say about that.