The impending Paris 2024 Olympics is an exciting prospect for Australian tennis.
It has been a 20-year drought since an Australian tennis player won a medal at the Olympics, the last being Alicia Molik getting the bronze medal in women’s singles at the Athens 2004 Olympics.
Our current stars led by the “demon” Alex Di Minaur will battle for a chance to medal two weeks after Wimbledon on clay in Paris at Roland Garros.
The recently released Australia Tennis Olympics list is made up of nine men and women.
On the men's side, our singles representatives include Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin, Chris O’Connell, and Rinky Hijikata. De Minaur is currently ranked #9 in the world following his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Roland Garros and a recent title at the Libema Open.
After not being able to compete at the Tokyo Olympics due to COVID-19, the 2024 Paris games will be his official Olympic debut. Popyrin, O’Connell, and Hijikata are all also making their Olympic debut in Paris.
Men's doubles features two teams: John Peers/Matthew Ebden and Alex de Minaur/Alexei Popyrin. Ebden is the current world #1 in doubles and is partnering up with 2-time Olympian Peers, which can prove to be a force in the doubles draw.
De Minaur and Popyrin will hope to bring their singles strengths to the doubles court together. The men’s team will be captained by Lleyton Hewitt who himself is a three-time Olympian.
On the women's side, the lone singles representative is Ajla Tomljanovic and the lone doubles team is Ellen Perez/Daria Saville. Tomljanovic is currently ranked #135 however is back fit and fighting with a recent finals result at the Birmingham Classic beating multiple top 60 players. Perez is the current world #9 in doubles and will be partnering Saville in the doubles draw.
The two have previous experience and success together on the doubles court representing Australia in the Billie Jean King Cup. All three women will be competing at their second Olympic Games. The women's team will be captained by Sam Stosur who is also
the only Australian five-time tennis Olympian.
It is also important to note, that the quick turnaround after Wimbledon and then the US Open and hardcourt swing post-Olympics has made some of our players decide not to play for Australia in Paris.
Jordan Thompson qualified for a direct spot in the Olympics draw as the #2 ranked Australian men's player.
However, he has chosen not to play and instead focus on defending his ranking and playing on his preferred hard court surface going into the US Open.
Similarly, Max Purcell decided not to play in the doubles draw to pursue his singles opportunities on the tour.
This abrupt change in location, conditions, and surfaces has also influenced many other star
players to choose not to play at the Olympics. These include Aryna Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur, Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov, and some of America’s top-ranked players: Madison Keys, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe.
Going from clay to grass and then back to clay once again will prove a challenge that our Aussies will have to adjust to. However, there is great potential across both the singles and doubles draws to bring back home some Olympic medals.
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