The Olympics are just around the corner, with the men’s and women’s championships set to be hotly contested by some of the sports finest players.

In the men’s, Alexander Zverev is looking to defend his crown after winning Gold in 2020, but he will face stiff competition.

Australia’s Alex de Minaur is having one of his best years to date, reaching the French Open quarter-finals and winning the Mexican Open, helping him rise to a career high seventh in the ATP Rankings.

But will he feature at the Olympics for his country? The Sporting News investigates.

MORE: When is Alex de Minaur’s next match? | Who is Alex de Minaur’s coach?

Will Alex de Minaur play at the Olympics?

At the time of writing, it has not been confirmed whether Alex de Minaur will be playing at the Paris Olympics; however in recent interviews he has indicated his willingness to participate if given the chance.

Speaking in April, he said, “Going to the Olympics, I think that’s one of the dreams as a young kid… [It’s] one of those milestone moments, check the box, that type of moment. I’d love to be there. It will be very special to be there, for sure.

“I would love to see a lot of the track athletes, the swimmers, basketball… [there are] so many different sports where I’d love to meet a lot of fellow countrymen and athletes which I haven’t had the chance to.”

As the top ranked Australian and having participated regularly in the Davis Cup, de Minaur is automatically eligible to qualify for the singles tournament, with each country able to nominate four players in both the men’s and women’s singles tournaments.

He also indicated to AAP in May that he was also willing to play in one of the doubles tournaments at the Olympics.

“I’m not sure what’s going to happen (with the pairings) yet, but I know it will be singles and doubles for me.”

Has Alex de Minaur appeared at the Olympics?

If Alex de Minaur appears at the Paris games, it would be his first ever Olympic appearance.

He was set to appear in the Tokyo games, but received a crushing blow on the eve of the Olympics, as a positive COVID-19 test forced him to pull out of the tournament.

Alex de Minaur 2024 season

Alex de Minaur’s 2024 started with a fourth round exit in his home Australian Open, which came after defeating Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the United Cup.

He reached the final of the ABN AMRO Open — losing to Jannick Sinner — but had better luck in the Mexican Open, defeating Casper Ruud in straight sets for his second win in a row.

He also performed well at the French Open, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round, before being defeated by Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals.

This did help him crack the top 10 of the ATP Rankings, and he then won the Libema Open, meaning he rose to a career high seventh.

When is the Olympic tennis squad announced?

The deadline for countries to nominate their tennis squads for the Olympics is July 8th.

However, there is a good chance the athletes competing will be announced at an earlier date, potentially on July 1st.