Tennis

Sport Overview

Tennis at Paris 2024

Venue: Roland-Garros

Competition Dates: July 27-August 4 (Days 1-9)

Events: 5 (2 men, 2 women, 1 mixed)

Trivia: Test your knowledge!

Olympic tennis features men’s and women’s singles and doubles tournaments as well as a mixed doubles tournament, which returned to the Olympic program at London 2012 after an 88-year absence.

The basic objective of tennis is to hit the ball with a racket over a net and into the opponent’s area. A point is won when the opponent either cannot return the ball or hits it out of bounds upon return.

In the scoring, one point won is “15”, two points won is “30”, and three points won is “40”. The first player to win four points wins a game. If both players have won three points, the score is said to be “deuce” and a player must win a point to take the advantage before they can score the winning point for a game. The first player to win six games and lead by two games wins a set. If a set is tied 5-5, the first player to win seven games wins the set. If a set is tied 6-6, a tiebreak (first to seven points and lead by two) decides the winner.

Singles matches for men and women are best-of-three sets. Doubles matches are also best-of-three sets, but if a third set is needed, it is played as a match tiebreak – first to 10 points and lead by two points wins the set.

All of the tournaments are held in single elimination brackets, the singles beginning with a 64-player draw, the men’s and women’s doubles with a 32-team draw and the mixed doubles with a 16-team draw.

Canada’s Olympic History (Pre-Paris 2024)

Canada’s lone Olympic tennis medal is the men’s doubles gold by Daniel Nestor and Sébastien Lareau at Sydney 2000. Both had left successful partnerships earlier in the year with the goal of winning an Olympic medal. The gamble paid off when they defeated the home favourite “Woodies”, Australia’s 11-time Grand Slam champions Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, in four sets. Nestor came close to winning another Olympic medal at Rio 2016, finishing fourth in men’s doubles with Vasek Pospisil.

Before final set tiebreaks were introduced at Rio 2016, Milos Raonic was part of a record-setting match at London 2012. He and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga played 48 games in the third set of their second-round match, won 25-23 by Tsonga.

Olympic Tennis History

Tennis was included at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and featured at every Olympic Games through Paris 1924. It was then dropped from the Olympic program until making its official return at Seoul 1988 after appearances as a demonstration sport at Mexico City 1968 and Los Angeles 1984.

Tennis was among the first Olympic sports to include women, starting at Paris 1900.