Olympics Tennis 2024: Draws, Dates, History & All You Need To Know
Tennis’s history with the Summer Olympics stretches back to its inclusion at the inaugural Olympic Games in 1896. Despite being dropped in 1924 over regulatory disputes, its return in 1988 as a full medal sport has marked the significance of the Olympics within the eyes of tennis professionals, with Olympic gold in tennis considered a coveted accolade.
The Paris 2024 Olympics promises a thrilling week of tennis, featuring the world’s top players as they compete for this priceless reward.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the tournament:
What are the dates for tennis at the Olympics?
Tennis at the Paris 2024 Olympics is set to start with the opening-round matches on 27 July, the day after the Opening Ceremony, and run until 4 August, when the final medal matches take place, including the men’s singles gold medal match.
What is the schedule for tennis at the Olympics?
After the Opening Ceremony for the Paris Olympics on Friday 26 July, play will begin on Saturday 27 July with men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles and women’s doubles first-round matches. Play will begin each day at 12 p.m.
The first medal matches — for mixed doubles gold, silver and bronze, men’s doubles bronze and women’s singles bronze — will be played on Friday 2 August. The men’s singles bronze medal match and men’s doubles final will be played on Saturday 3 August and the men’s singles gold medal match will be played on Sunday 4 August.
What is the format of Olympics tennis in Paris? What are the sizes of the Olympics tennis draws?
The Paris Olympics features draws for singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, with players able to enter multiple draws. The format is single elimination, with the singles draws consisting of 64 players, doubles draws consisting of a draw size of 32 and mixed doubles containing 16 pairs. Players that reach the semi-final of their draws will be in contention to win a medal and players that lose in the semi-finals will play the bronze medal match.
Which tennis players will feature in the Olympics?
The Olympics are set to feature a whole host of tennis’ elite. Italy’s Jannik Sinner, No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, and Wimbledon champion, Carlos Alcaraz, both make debut Olympic appearances. Germany’s current Olympic champion, Alexander Zverev will seek to claim his second gold medal, while Serbia’s Novak Djokovic searches for his first – an elusive accomplishment among his tennis accolades. There will be focus will be on two-time Olympic champion, Britain’s Andy Murray, who recently announced his retirement after the Paris Olympics.
When will the Olympics tennis draws take place?
The Olympic tennis draws will take place at 11 a.m. on Thursday 25 July.
Which countries will participate in Olympics tennis?
Players representing 40 countries will compete in tennis at the Paris Olympics. Each country is able to nominate a maximum of four singles players per gender as well as two doubles teams per event, with a maximum of six players per gender for each nation. As well as strong sides representing the USA, Italy and Spain, players from Egypt, Montenegro and Colombia will compete in the Olympics. Lebanon will make its debut appearance in tennis at the Olympics with Benjamin Hassan in the men’s singles.
How do players qualify for the Olympics?
Qualification is based largely on ranking, with higher-ranked players gaining priority to represent their nation at the Olympics. The top 56 singles players (no more than four per country) gain automatic entry if they wish to participate with the remaining eight spots being given to winners or finalists of continental competitions in the Americas, Asia and Africa, as well as a universality place and places being reserved for Olympic or Grand Slam champions that failed to qualify via other criteria.
Where is tennis being played at the Olympics?
The matches will happen at the Stade Roland Garros, Paris, typically the location of the French Open Grand Slam. The courts will be the trademark red clay courts of Roland Garros, a shift from the hard courts used at the last Olympics in Tokyo.
Who won the last edition of the Olympics in 2021?
Alexander Zverev won the Tokyo Olympics gold medal with a 6-3, 6-1 victory against Karen Khachanov in the championship match. Nikola Mektic and Wesley Koolhof lifted the doubles trophy in Tokyo with a 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 triumph against Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Andrey Rublev earned mixed doubles glory with a 6-3, 6-7(5), 13-11 triumph against Elena Vesnina and Aslan Karatsev.