The 2024 Olympics tennis tournament will once again see some of the top players in the ATP and WTA circuit battle it out to win Olympic Gold.
Australia has traditionally been a strong performing nation in the sport, but how have they fared at Olympic level?
The Sporting News finds out.
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Since the Open era of tennis at the Olympics in 1988, Australia has won six medals at the Olympics in tennis events.
The first of these came in 1988, when Elizabeth Smylie and Wendy Turnbull won bronze in the women’s doubles, and Australia received the same honour in 1992 thanks to Nicole Bradtke and Rachel McQuillan.
Australia’s only Gold medal in the tennis came in 1996, when Tood Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde won the men’s doubles tournament, beating Great Britain’s Neil Broad and Tim Henman in the final.
The last medal Australia won in the tennis came in 2020, when Ash Barty and John Peers took home the bronze medal in the mixed doubles tournament.
Year | Event | Athlete(s) | Medal |
---|---|---|---|
1988 | Women’s doubles |
Elizabeth Smylie |
Bronze |
1992 | Women’s doubles | Nicole Bradtke Rachel McQuillan |
Bronze |
1996 | Men’s doubles | Todd Woodbridge Mark Woolforde |
Gold |
2000 | Men’s doubles | Todd Woodbridge Mark Woolforde |
Silver |
2004 | Women’s singles | Alicia Molik | Bronze |
2020 | Mixed doubles | Ash Barty John Peers |
Bronze |
Aside from the bronze medal win in the mixed doubles, Australia’s tennis campaign in 2020 lacked overall success.
Then world number one Barty was surprisingly eliminated in the first round in the women’s singles, whilst the men’s draw lacked depth as the likes of Nick Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur didn’t participate.
Max Purcell and John Millman both reached the second round in the men’s draw, being the best performing Australian’s in the singles draw.
The Australian tennis squad for the Paris Olympics will be announced no later than July 8,