Olympic tennis returns to clay: final hurrah for legends, rise of new talent

Alcaraz, Swiatek among young stars to watch; China's tennis hopes high

PARIS:

For the first time since Barcelona 1992, Olympic tennis matches will be played on red clay. This summer, Paris will witness the final Olympic performances of legendary players like Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, alongside the rise of young stars such as Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek.

The Paris 2024 tennis competitions will take place at Roland Garros from July 27 to August 4. A total of 184 athletes from 41 countries and regions will compete for five gold medals in men’s and women’s singles and doubles, as well as mixed doubles.

Paris 2024 marks Nadal's fourth and final Olympic Games. The 22-time major champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist announced in May that he would likely end his career in 2024 due to a persistent hip injury. Nadal, who skipped Wimbledon to avoid the strain of switching from clay to grass, aims to cap his illustrious career with another gold at Roland Garros, where he has won a record 14 titles.

Britain’s Andy Murray, who won back-to-back Olympic golds at London 2012 and Rio 2016, will also bid farewell to the sport. The men’s singles competition will be fiercely contested, with 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic and rising star Carlos Alcaraz, the youngest man to win major titles on hard, grass, and clay courts, both vying for their first Olympic gold.

In the women’s competition, several high-ranked players, including world No.3 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and two-time Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, have withdrawn from Paris 2024. However, the field remains strong with formidable young talents such as four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek of Poland and reigning U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff of the United States, both targeting their first Olympic gold.

Chinese players are aiming to make a significant impact on the world stage. This summer, China will send a seven-player squad to Paris, led by women’s world No.8 Zheng Qinwen and men’s world No.34 Zhang Zhizhen, who recently made history as the first male Chinese player to secure a seed position at Wimbledon.

China’s women’s singles team, featuring four Olympic first-timers, is among only six squads to have a full quota of players at the event. Veteran players Zhang Shuai and Zheng Saisai will team up with youngsters Yuan Yue and Wang Xinyu in the women’s doubles.

Recent progress in Chinese tennis is evident, with Zheng Qinwen finishing as runner-up in the 2024 Australian Open and world No.36 Wang Xinyu reaching the last 16 at Wimbledon. Paris will also see the first male player from mainland China in the Olympics since Beijing 2008, as Zhang Zhizhen, the Asian Games champion, aims for a deep run.

China’s last Olympic gold in tennis came at Athens 2004, when Li Ting and Sun Tiantian won the women’s doubles. The best singles performance by a Chinese player was Li Na’s fourth-place finish at Beijing 2008.

As the Olympic Games return to the historic clay courts of Roland Garros, the mix of seasoned legends and ambitious young stars promises an exciting showcase of tennis excellence.