The Paris 2024 Olympics encompasses 32 sports, with tennis being one of the original events featured in the inaugural modern Games. Here are some key details about tennis at the Olympics.
HISTORY
The precursor to tennis, known as “jeu de paume” or “game of the hand,” originated in France during the 11th century. Tennis made its debut in the first modern Olympics held in Athens in 1896, and a women’s singles event was added in 1900. However, tennis was removed from the Olympic program after 1924 and did not officially return until 1988.
DATES
The Olympic tennis tournament will take place over a span of nine days, starting from Saturday, July 27 to Sunday, August 4.
VENUE
Roland Garros, the renowned site of the French Open located in southwest Paris, will serve as the venue for the Olympic Tennis Event. This state-of-the-art facility features 12 match courts and six practice courts, including the impressive Court Philippe Chatrier with a seating capacity of 15,000 and Court Suzanne Lenglen with a capacity of 9,000. Both courts are equipped with retractable roofs to ensure matches can be played regardless of weather conditions. The surface used for the Olympic tennis matches is red clay, which generally offers a slower pace compared to hard courts.
THREE SETS
All matches at the Olympics will consist of three sets, unlike in Grand Slam tournaments where men’s singles matches are played over five sets.
PLAYERS
A total of 41 countries will have representation, with 184 players competing across five events: men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Each singles event will have 64 players, while the doubles events will have 32 teams and the mixed doubles will have 16 teams. There is a maximum limit of four singles players per gender per country. Nations were also allowed to nominate up to two doubles teams per event, with a total of six players per gender per country. Olympic tennis often showcases renowned athletes who have already gained international fame.
The Paris Games will see the return of all the previous four Olympic gold medallists in men’s singles. These include Rafael Nadal of Spain, who emerged victorious in Beijing in 2008, Andy Murray of Britain, who won in both London 2012 and Rio 2016, and Alexander Zverev of Germany, who triumphed in Tokyo 2020.
Murray, aged 37, stated that the Olympics would serve as his final tournament ever. Meanwhile, Nadal, aged 38, is anticipated to retire soon due to his ongoing struggle with injuries over the last two years.
Jannik Sinner, the current world number one, withdrew from the Games on Wednesday due to tonsillitis, which has dealt a blow to Italy’s aspirations of securing their first Olympic tennis medal since 1924.
In the women’s singles competition, Iga Swiatek, the top-ranked player in the world and an expert on clay courts, is widely regarded as the frontrunner. This sentiment is further solidified by the absence of Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus and Ons Jabeur from Tunisia, both of whom chose not to participate.
The International Tennis Federation has released a comprehensive list of the top-seeded players, taking into account the most recent withdrawals. The draw for the tournament was conducted on Thursday.
Men’s singles
1. Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2. Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
3. Alexander Zverev (Germany)
4. Daniil Medvedev (Neutral)
5. Alex de Minaur (Australia)
6. Casper Ruud (Norway)
7. Taylor Fritz (USA)
8. Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece)
9. Tommy Paul (USA)
10. Ugo Humbert (France)
11. Lorenzo Musetti (Italy)
12. Sebastian Baez (Argentina)
13. Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada)
14. Arthur Fils (France)
15. Alejandro Tabilo (Chile)
16. Nicolas Jarry (Chile)
Women’s singles
1. Iga Swiatek (Poland)
2. Coco Gauff (USA)
3. Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)
4. Jasmine Paolini (Italy)
5. Jessica Pegula (USA)
6. Qinwen Zheng (China)
7. Maria Sakkari (Greece)
8. Danielle Collins (USA)
9. Barbora Krejcikova (Czechia)
10. Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia)
11. Emma Navarro (USA)
12. Marta Kostyuk (Ukraine)
13. Donna Vekic (Croatia)
14. Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil)
15. Diana Shnaider (Neutral)
16. Leylah Fernandez (Canada)
Men’s doubles
2. Andrea Vavassori / Simone Bolelli (Italy)
3. Kevin Krawietz / Tim Puetz (Germany)
4. Taylor Fritz / Tommy Paul (USA)
5. Rajeev Ram / Austin Krajicek (USA)
6. Joe Salisbury / Neal Skupski (Great Britain)
7. Andres Molteni / Maximo Gonzalez (Argentina)
8. Mate Pavic / Nikola Mektic (Croatia)
8. Arthur Fils / Ugo Humbert
Women’s doubles
1. Coco Gauff / Jessica Pegula (USA)
2. Barbora Krejcikova / Katerina Siniakova (Czech R.)
3. Sara Errani / Jasmine Paolini (Italy)
4. Danielle Collins / Desirae Krawczyk (USA)
5. Gabriela Dabrowski / Leylah Fernandez (Canada)
6. Beatriz Haddad Maia / Luisa Stefani (Brazil)
7. Marta Kostyuk / Dayana Yastremska (Ukraine)
8. Cristina Bucsa / Sara Sorribes Tormo (Spain)
Mixed doubles
1. Laura Siegemund / Alexander Zverev
2. Ellen Perez / Matthew Ebden
3. Coco Gauff / Taylor Fritz
4. Maria Sakkari / Stefanos Tsitsipas
