Learn about the competition format for tennis at the Tokyo Olympics.
How many tennis events are there in the Olympics?
Olympic tennis is not like the Davis Cup or Fed Cup, annual competitions pitting nation against nation in a team-style format involving individual matches. The Paris Games will be similar to a Grand Slam event, with fewer players. The five tennis competitions on the Olympic program are:
o Men's singles
o Women's singles
o Men's doubles
o Women's doubles
o Mixed doubles
What is the format for Olympic tennis at the Paris Olympics?
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In Paris, the tennis competition involves single-elimination tournaments for each of the five events. The men's and women's singles draws both feature 64 competitors; the men's and women's doubles draws have 32 teams.
Sixteen players are seeded in singles and eight teams are seeded in doubles with the remaining players or teams drawn into brackets. Where practical, no two players from the same country are placed in the same quarter of the draw. Seedings are based on the latest international rankings.
Progression
Tokyo Olympics
Watch all the action from the Tokyo Olympics live on NBC
Adhering to the typical protocol of tennis tournaments, players advance through the draw by winning matches. Losers are eliminated until the field is down to four players/teams. At this stage, the semifinal winners advance to meet in the Gold Medal Final; the semifinal losers face each other to determine who walks away with bronze.
How many sets are played in Olympic tennis?
All tennis matches at the Paris Olympics will be best-of-three sets.
What is the tie-breaker rule in Olympic tennis?
In all matches, tie-breaks are used for any set that reaches 6-all except the last, which will be played until one player (or team) has a two-game advantage. This is the format followed at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon; at the U.S. Open, tie-breaks are used in every set.
SEE MORE: Tennis champion Novak Djokovic reacts to gold medal win
Where will 2024 Olympic tennis be held?
Legendary tennis stadium Roland-Garros will be the home for tennis during the Olympics. Built in 1928, Roland-Garros hosts one of the four tennis Grand Slams each year. The stadium has been modernized and expanded over the years and now has 18 clay courts. The main court, Philippe-Chatrier Court, will host the finals for each event as well as matches throughout the tournament.
