Follow all the tennis at the Olympic Games in Paris (27th July – 4th August). Learn all about the participants, the favourites and who generally plays well at the Stade Roland Garros, as we preview the men’s and women’s tournaments at the summer Olympics.
The start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is drawing closer, and tennis will once again feature heavily, with the action on the clay courts of Roland Garros taking place between 27th July and 4th August. It’s all to play for in the fight for gold in Paris, with Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic amongst the favourites in the men’s tournament, whilst Iga Świątek is a very strong favourite to win the women’s gold medal.
With the tournament being held at the home of the French Open grand slam tennis event, there is a wealth of previous form on the clay surface to consider when making your selections. Now, let’s look at some of the leading fancies:
Olympic tennis predictions for the men’s tournament
Despite a long and highly successful career, Novak Djokovic has never won an Olympic gold medal. He won the bronze medal in Beijing in 2008, but has lost the bronze-medal match twice in his three subsequent efforts since then. The Serbian says that the Paris Olympics are ‘a priority’ for him this year, as he looks to fill the one empty space in his trophy cabinet. Djokovic has won the French Open three times, although he was forced to withdraw in the quarter-finals earlier this year with a knee injury.
Carlos Alcaraz may only be 21 years of age, but the Spaniard has four grand slam titles already to his name, including a Wimbledon title from earlier this month. Alcaraz also won the French Open in June, so he will relish a return to the place of that recent success for his first participation in the Olympic games.
Jannik Sinner was defeated in a five-set thriller by Alcaraz in the semi-final of the recent French Open, despite starting well and leading by two sets to one. He reached world number one in the rankings at the end of that tournament, the first-ever Italian tennis player to hold that position.
Defending champion, Alexander Zverev of Germany, will have high hopes of retaining his title. He lost in the final of the recent French Open after reaching the semi-finals for the previous three years, so he is clearly at home on the clay surface of Roland Garros.
Will there be one last hurrah for Rafael Nadal? For many years the Spaniard was unplayable on these courts, winning an unprecedented 14 French Open titles. However, the 38-year-old has been beset with injuries over the last couple of years, and this may be his final tournament. He will certainly be a choice for the sentimental bettors, and he’s also lined up to play with Carlos Alcaraz in the doubles.
Andy Murray is another player who may bow out of professional tennis after these Olympics. He is the only male player to win two gold medals in the singles (2012 & 2016); however, injuries have also seen him sidelined for long periods recently, and he didn’t compete in the recent Wimbledon singles.
Greece have an opportunity for a medal in Stefanos Tsitsipas. He has reached the quarter-final in four of the last five French Open tournaments and, whilst he has slipped down the world singles rankings of late, his record on this surface gives him an outside chance.
Australian Alex de Minaur also reached the French Open quarter-finals, although that was his best ever finish in Paris, and his record at Roland Garros is worse than at any of the other grand slam events.
Medal predictions for the Olympic men’s tennis singles
🥇 Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
🥈 Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
🥉 Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece)
Betting odds for the Olympic men’s tennis singles
- Carlos Alcaraz @2.80
- Jannik Sinner @3.80
- Novak Djokovic @4.00
- Alexander Zverev @6.00
- Rafael Nadal @9.00
- Casper Ruud @13.00
- Stefanos Tsitsipas @21.00
- Holger Rune @26.00
- Daniil Medvedev @26.00
- Alex de Minaur @26.00
- Andy Murray @ 51.00
- 81.00 and upwards for other players
Olympic tennis predictions for the women’s tournament
The reigning women’s champion, Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, will not be back to defend her title, after giving birth to her daughter in April of this year. She also won a silver in the women’s doubles in Tokyo, joining a very select group of players that have won two tennis medals at the same Olympics.
The betting suggests that Poland’s Iga Świątek will take top spot on the podium with the gold medal around her neck. That confidence is based on her outstanding record in the French Open, where she has won the title in three of the last four years and has a tournament record of 35 wins and two defeats. In taking this year’s title, Świątek dropped just one set, and she lost just 11 games in the four matches from the fourth round onwards, also winning three sets ‘to love’ during that sequence.
Coco Gauff lost to Świątek in the French Open semi-finals, and the defending US Open champion will be hoping for another strong performance here, especially after being unable to take her place in Tokyo 2020 after contracting Covid. She is also at home on the clay surface here, as she has reached at least the quarter-finals in each of the last four French Open tournaments, as well as winning the women’s doubles event this year.
Elena Rybakina lost the bronze medal match at Tokyo 2020 in her only previous appearance at the games, losing out to Elina Svitolina. She beat that same player in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon recently, only to be defeated in the semi-finals. The Kazakhstani player also reached the quarter-finals of the French Open in June, which was her joint-best finish on the clay of Roland Garros.
Markéta Vondroušová took the silver medal for the Czech Republic in Toyko. However, she struggled to make an impact in tournament tennis following that, until becoming the first unseeded player ever to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title in 2023. Vondroušová has had two first-round exits in her three grand slam events so far this year.
Elina Svitolina took the bronze in Toyko 2020, beating Elena Rybakina in the third-place match. However, the Ukrainian has come off second best against the same player in both the French Open and Wimbledon this year, losing in straight sets in both tournaments. Svitolina has reached the quarter-final four times in the French Open, but has never progressed beyond that stage.
Italian Jasmine Paolini reached both the French Open and Wimbledon finals over the last two months, although she failed to win either. Those were the first occasions on which the 28-year-old had progressed beyond the fourth round in any grand slam events. Paolini also won the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this year (her first WTA1000 success), and will hope to make her Olympic mark here.
Medal predictions for the Olympic women’s tennis singles
🥇 Iga Świątek (Poland)
🥈 Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)
🥉 Jasmine Paolini (Italy)
Betting odds for the Olympic women’s tennis singles
- Iga Świątek @1.55
- Coco Gauff @6.00
- Elena Rybakina @10.00
- Markéta Vondroušová @ 13.00
- Mirra Andreeva @15.00
- Naomi Osaka @17.00
- Qinwen Zheng @19.00
- Danielle Rose Collins @26.00
- Jelena Ostapenko @26.00
- Barbora Krejčíková @ 34.00
- Maria Sakkari @ 34.00
- Elina Svitolina @ 34.00
- Beatriz Haddad Maia @ 41.00
- Jasmine Paolini @ 41.00
- 51.00 and upwards other players
Olympic tennis doubles tournaments
There are many players who specialise in doubles, so form in the singles competitions is not always indicative of who may succeed in the double’s tournaments.
Men’s Doubles at the summer Olympics
There is one partnership that immediately catches the eye: Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal for Spain. With Alcaraz currently in such good form and Nadal being a French Open specialist, they will be a popular choice to take gold. The Croatian pairing of Mate Pavić and Nikola Mektić are back to defend the title they won in Tokyo.
Other pairings to look out for include:
- Matthew Ebden and John Peers (Australia)
- Marcel Gronollers and Pablo Carreño Busta (Spain)
- Jannik Skinner and Lorenzo Musetti (Italy)
- Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul (USA)
- Dan Evans and Andy Murray (Great Britain)
Women’s Doubles at the summer Olympics
Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková of the Czech Republic return to defend their doubles title, with the former arriving fresh from taking the women’s singles title at Wimbledon earlier this month. Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula are also likely to be strong challengers, representing the USA.
Other pairings of note include:
- Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani (Italy)
- Danielle Rose Collins and Desirae Krawczyk (USA)
- Laura Siegemund and Angelique Kerber (Germany)
- Markéta Vondroušová and Karolína Muchová (Czech Republic)
- Luisa Stefani and Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil)
Mixed Doubles at the summer Olympics
The pairings for the mixed doubles will be taken from those players already participating in the singles or doubles and will not be determined until 24th July.
In Tokyo 2020, the medal winners were: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Andrey Rublev (Gold – ROC), Elena Vesnina and Aslan Karatsev (Silver – ROC) and Ashleigh Barty and John Peers (Bronze – Australia).
Olympic tennis tournament FAQs
How many events and players will there be in the summer Olympics?
There are five medal events—singles and doubles for both men and women, and mixed doubles, with over 170 players taking part.
Is there a maximum number of players that can represent each country?
Each country can send a total of 12 tennis players to compete (six per gender). However, there can be a maximum of four players in each gender category of the singles, up to two doubles teams per gender category and one mixed doubles team.
Where is the Olympic tennis in Paris being played?
The matches are played on the clay courts at Stade Roland Garros, the home of the French Open. This is the first Olympic tennis tournament played on clay since Barcelona in 1992.
What format are the singles matches played over?
All singles matches are played over the best of three sets, with a standard tie-break played in each set (including the final set) if required.
Has tennis always been an Olympic sport?
Although tennis was featured in the first Olympics in Athens in 1896, it was removed around 30 years later and only returned to the schedule in 1988. In the early years, tennis was an elitist sport, with many non-professional players of a very good level and social standing competing for medals. However, after Paris 1924, tennis disappeared from the Olympic schedule due to conflicts between the Olympic sports federations and the tennis federation over the professionalisation of the sport.
It was more than 60 years before tennis returned to the Olympic Games, in Los Angeles 1984, although it did so as an exhibition sport before becoming a permanent feature. In Seoul 1988, it made an official comeback with some style. A young Steffi Graf, who had just won all four grand slams that year, won the gold medal, thus completing her ‘Golden Slam’ in a single season. It was Graf, therefore, who revitalised the Olympic interest in the sport that continues to this day
Which players have won the most gold medals in the modern era?
Andy Murray is the only male player with two gold medals in the singles (2012 & 2016). Rafael Nadal also has two gold medals. One in the singles (2008) and one in the men’s doubles (2016).
The Williams sisters have the most gold medals (four) in the women’s tournaments. Serena (2012) and Venus (2000) have one singles gold medal each, and they have won the ladies doubles three times as a pairing (2000, 2008 and 2012).
Tennis medals at the Olympic Games since 1988
At Marathonbet, we have analysed the singles events to help you with your bets on the Olympic Games, but we also want to travel back to each event in modern history and provide you with the medal list for each edition of the singles and doubles, both in the men’s and women’s categories, since Seoul 1988. Note: bronze medals were shared by both losing semi-finalists in all the Olympic tennis events up to 1996, after which a bronze-medal match was introduced.
Men’s Olympic Games tennis medal history
Seoul 1988
🥇 Miloslav Mečíř (Czechoslovakia) | Ken Flach and Robert Seguso (USA)
🥈 Tim Mayotte (USA) | Emilio Sánchez and Sergio Casal (Spain)
🥉 Stefan Edberg (Sweden) / Brad Gilbert (USA) | Miloslav Mečíř and Milan Šrejber (Czechoslovakia) / Stefan Edberg and Anders Järryd (Sweden)
Barcelona 1992
🥇 Marc Rosset (Switzerland) | Boris Becker and Michael Stich (Germany)
🥈 Jordi Arrese (Spain) | Wayne Ferreira and Piet Norval (South Africa)
🥉 Goran Ivanišević (Croatia) / Andrey Cherkasov (Unified Team) | Goran Ivanišević and Goran Prpić (Croatia) / Javier Frana and Christian Miniussi (Argentina)
Atlanta 1996
🥇 Andre Agassi (USA) | Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde (Australia)
🥈 Sergi Bruguera (Spain) | Niel Broad and Tim Henman (Great Britain)
🥉 Leander Paes (India) | Marc-Kevin Goellner and David Prinosil (Germany)
Sydney 2000
🥇 Yevgueni Kafelnikov (Russia) | Sébastien Lareau and Daniel Nestor (Canada)
🥈 Tommy Haas (Germany) | Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde (Australia)
🥉 Arnaud Di Pasquale (France) | Àlex Corretja and Albert Costa (Spain)
Athens 2004
🥇 Nicolás Massú (Chile) | Fernando González and Nicolás Massú (Chile)
🥈 Mardy Fish (USA) | Niclas Kiefer and Rainer Schüttler (Germany)
🥉 Fernando González (Chile) | Mario Ančić and Ivan Ljubičić (Croatia)
Beijing 2008
🥇 Rafael Nadal (Spain) | Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland)
🥈 Fernando González (Chile) | Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson (Sweden)
🥉 Novak Djokovic (Serbia) | Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (USA)
London 2012
🥇 Andy Murray (Great Britain)| Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (USA)
🥈 Roger Federer (Switzerland) | Michaël Llodra and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France)
🥉 Juan Martín del Potro (Argentina) | Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet (France)
Rio de Janeiro 2016
🥇 Andy Murray (Great Britain) | Marc López and Rafael Nadal (Spain)
🥈 Juan Martín del Potro (Argentina) | Florin Mergea and Horia Tecău (Romania)
🥉 Kei Nishikori (Japan) | Steve Johnson and Jack Sock (USA)
Tokyo 2020
🥇 Alexander Zverev (Germany) | Nikola Mektić and Mate Pavić (Croatia)
🥈 Karen Khachanov (ROC) | Ivan Dodig and Marin Čilić (Croatia)
🥉 Pablo Carreño (Spain) | Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus (New Zealand)
Women’s Olympic Games tennis medal history
Seoul 1988
🥇 Steffi Graf (West Germany) | Pam Shriver and Zina Garrison (USA)
🥈 Gabriela Sabatini (Argentina) | Jana Novotná and Helena Suková (Czechoslovakia)
🥉 Manuela Maleeva (Bulgaria) / Zina Garrison (USA) | Elizabeth Smylie and Wendy Turnbull (Australia) / Steffi Graf and Claudia Kohde-Kilsch (West Germany)
Barcelona 1992
🥇 Jennifer Capriati (USA) | Gigi Fernández and Mary Joe Fernández 🇺🇸
🥈 Steffi Graf (Germany) | Conchita Martinez and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (Spain)
🥉 Mary Joe Fernandez (USA) / Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (Spain) | Rachel McQuillan and Nicole Provis (Australia) / Leila Meskhi and Natasha Zvereva (EUN)
Atlanta 1996
🥇 Lindsay Davenport (USA) | Gigi Fernández and Mary Joe Fernández (USA)
🥈 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (Spain) | Jana Novotná and Helena Suková (Czech Republic)
🥉 Jana Novotná (Czech Republic) | Conchita Martínez and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (Spain)
Sydney 2000
🥇 Venus Williams (USA) | Venus Williams and Serena Williams (USA)
🥈 Elena Dementieva (Russia) | Kristie Boogert and Miriam Oremans (Netherlands)
🥉 Monica Seles (USA) | Els Callens and Dominique Van Roost (Belgium)
Athens 2004
🥇 Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium) | Li Ting and Sun Tiantian (China)
🥈 Amélie Mauresmo (France) | Conchita Martinez and Virginia Ruano (Spain)
🥉 Alicia Molik (Australia) | Paola Suárez and Patricia Tarabini (Argentina)
Beijing 2008
🥇 Elena Dementieva (Russia) | Venus Williams and Serena Williams (USA)
🥈 Dinara Safina (Russia) | Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano (Spain)
🥉 Vera Zvonareva (Russia) | Yan Zi and Zheng Jie (China)
London 2012
🥇 Serena Williams (USA) | Venus Williams and Serena Williams (USA)
🥈 Maria Sharapova (Russia) | Andrea Hlaváčková and Lucie Hradecká (Czech Republic)
🥉 Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) | Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova (Russia)
Rio de Janeiro 2016
🥇 Monica Puig (Puerto Rico) | Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina (Russia)
🥈 Angelique Kerber (Germany) | Timea Bacsinszky and Martina Hingis (Switzerland)
🥉 Petra Kvitová (Czech Republic) | Lucie Šafářová and Barbora Strýcová (Czech Republic)
Tokyo 2020
🥇 Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) | Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková (Czech Republic)
🥈 Markéta Vondroušová (Czech Republic) | Belinda Bencic and Victoria Golubic (Switzerland)
🥉 Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) | Laura Pigossi and Luisa Stefani (Brazil)
Will you be following the Olympics? Check out the Olympic football, basketball and handball previews and predictions on the Marathonbet blog.
*Odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change thereafter.
