The Olympic Tennis tournament will be contested on a clay surface for the first time since Barcelona 1992 when the worlds finest descend on a familiar venue in July. Players from the WTA tour are used to competing for the Suzanne-Lenglen cup when they play at Roland Garros in the annual French Open, but this time around, a spot on the Olympic podium will be the prize.
With the 2024 French Open due to take place around two months before the Olympics commence, many players could be heading to the games with serious medal winning potential, coming off the back of a positive two weeks on the clay. Most will also be competing on grass at Wimbledon which concludes just two weeks before the Olympic draw begins, adding a further fascinating element to the tennis summer. This unique schedule provides players with the rare opportunity to adapt to record the conditions early, as well as to finesse their game and get a close up view of their rivals form.
It promises to be a thrilling year for tennis fans worldwide, especially with the bonus of an olympic tournament in Paris so soon after the French open. There may be a lot of tennis to be played between now and then, but let’s take a look at just some of the athletes eyeing up an Olympic medal in the summer.
Can Swiatek Maintain Fine Record in Paris
If Iga Swiatek could have chosen her ideal location for an olympic games, the French capital may well have been her first choice. The 22 year old polish player already has three French open titles to her name and has established herself as the current world number one, a position she has held for around a year and a half. The pole is a fearsome competitor across all of the grand slams, but on European clay she has proven to be one of the players to beat for any opponent. Swiatek has developed a real love affair with Roland Garros in the early years of her career and she will hope to once again be victorious on Court Philippe Chatrier and add an Olympic gold medal to her already laden trophy cabinet.
Sabalenka Hoping for Another Strong Year
Following the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutral athletes in Paris, we can expect to see world number two Aryna Sabalenka lining up in the draw. The powerful Belarusian is determined to focus on her tennis in 2024 and hopes to add to her Australian Open victory from last year. Her consistency across the slams in 2023 saw her reach two finals and two semi finals, highlighting her credentials ahead of the new tennis calendar. A second round exit in Tokyo will surely spur Sabalenka on to fight for medals this time around in France after a remarkable set of results in the last year.
Just the Start for Coco Gauff
It’s remarkable to consider that Coco Gauff is still a teenager having achieved so much success in what is still a fledgling tennis career. Gauff is targeting Olympic gold both in the singles and in the women’s doubles with her regular partner Jessica Pegula. Having been a finalist at Roland Garros in 2022, the venue is a favourable setting for the Florida born players first taste of an Olympic Games. 2023 was the year that Coco Gauff won her maiden grand slam title in New York, yet plenty in the tennis world believe it could be the first of many for the American, with the bonus of a shot at Olympic glory coming this summer.
Other Potential Stories to Look Out For
Suisse number one Belinda Bencic is the defending Olympic champion in the singles after her victory over Marketa Vondrousova in the Tokyo gold medal match. Bencic has tended to play her best tennis away from Roland Garros, however she is striving to become the first ever female to defend an Olympic singles title this summer.
Caroline Garcia has spoken of her excitement ahead of a home Olympic Games in Paris, where she is sure to be the toast of the French crowd. Garcia has unfinished business at the Olympics after she was beaten in the first round of both the women’s singles and doubles competitions in Tokyo and was removed from the French team for disciplinary reasons in Rio. However, her recent form has taken her as high as world number four and to a US open semi final, this coupled with the inspiration of a passionate Parisian support could stand Garcia in much better stead this time around.
Two other athletes likely to feature in the draw with great clay court pedigree are Latvian Jelena Ostapenko and Czech Barbora Krejcikova, both former French open singles champions. A rediscovery of this championship winning form would make them a very dangerous prospect in August. Karolína Muchova has put together many solid runs in Paris, most recently to the final in 2023, placing her as another player to keep an eye on.
With dangers and form players aplenty in the women’s draws in recent years, 2024 promises to be no different, so the eyes of the world will be on Roland Garros in August with no shortage of medal prospects coming from all corners of the globe likely to be on display.
GB Watch
The singles tournament will begin with 64 players with a limit of 4 players per national olympic committee permitted to enter. The WTA rankings on 10th June 2024 will be the barometer for who qualifies to play in the games. These qualification guidelines provide an opportunity for numerous British players to make the British squad.
Emma Raducanu recently made her return to competetive tennis with a round one win and a second round battle royale with Elina Svitolina in Auckland after a period of rehabilitation following wrist and ankle surgery. With two grand slams between now and the games, the former US open champion can play her way into contention for a first Olympic selection of her career.
Katie Boulter is the current British number one and is currently in the strongest position to achieve qualification. The 27 year old from Leicester is currently on the cusp of qualification, so a continuation of her current form is likely to see Boulter qualify for her first Olympics.
Heather Watson has represented Great Britain at the previous two Games and will harbour hopes of another, whilst Jodie Burrage’s rise up the rankings has placed her in contention too.
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