Tennis at the Rio 2016 Olympics: All you need to know
| Olympic Games on the BBC |
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| Venue: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Dates: 5-21 August Time in Rio: BST -4 |
| Coverage: Watch on BBC One, BBC Four, Red Button and up to 24 HD video streams on mobile, desktop and connected TVs, plus follow on Radio 5 live and via live text commentary. |
The sport in brief: There are five gold medals up for grabs – men’s and women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles. All matches are best-of-three sets – except for the men’s singles final, which is a best-of-five match.
Anything new for Rio 2016? Tie-breaks will be used in the deciding set in singles and men’s and women’s doubles matches. Unlike in recent previous Olympics, there are no ranking points on offer.
British prospects: Andy Murray is the defending champion and comes into the Olympics having won Wimbledon for a second time. Murray and brother Jamie have done well in the Davis Cup so will fancy their chances in the men’s doubles. Johanna Konta is having the best season of her career, while Heather Watson won the mixed doubles at Wimbledon.
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Who are the favourites? Besides Murray, world number one Novak Djokovic will be aiming to bounce back after his premature Wimbledon exit, and Rafael Nadal will be aiming to make amends for an injury-hit season. Defending women’s singles champion Serena Williams will arrive in Rio fresh from equalling Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles. She and sister Venus will be among the women’s doubles favourites, having already won Olympic gold in the event three times.
I didn’t know that: John Boland, the first Olympic men’s singles champion in 1896, did not have any tennis shoes with him so played in a pair of shoes with leather soles and heels.
Previous British medallists: Forty two (16 gold, 14 silver, 12 bronze)
Most recent British gold: 2012 – Andy Murray (men’s singles)
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