Tennis has had a somewhat chequered history at the Olympic Games. Its path throughout the Olympics has been marked by periods of inclusion, exclusion, and reintroduction.
Over the years, much debate has surrounded the sport's relevance at the Games, primarily centered around whether the Olympics serves as the ultimate pinnacle of the sport (perhaps everyone needs to watch Novak Djokovic’s reaction to his Paris gold medal). Regardless of these discussions, tennis has firmly established its presence at the Games since 1988.
What may be of more interest, is the format of the event. Presently, the format of Olympic tennis closely mirrors that of regular tour events: best of three sets, men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, with the added excitement of a mixed doubles event. This structure, while familiar, does not capitalize on the unique opportunity the Olympics presents – an event steeped in national pride and representation of your country.
The Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup offer a hint into the potential of team events, creating an atmosphere of camaraderie. Exhibition events like the Laver Cup and Hopman Cup have further highlighted how team formats can ignite fresh excitement and engagement for both players and fans.
The current setup of Olympic tennis, while functional, lacks a point of difference, that sets the Olympics apart from the routine of the tour. For an event that rolls around only once every four years, do we need to look at something to create more interest, more drama, more suspense?
To enhance the Olympic tennis experience, we must consider alternative formats that emphasize team competition, creating a stronger connection to what the Olympics is all about - unity and national representation.
John Isner’s tweeton X last week, succinctly captured this sentiment: "Tennis should be a team event."
Interestingly, a few players supported the American, directly replying to the X post.
Jess Pegula said, ‘agreed’
Nick Kyrgios simply added, ‘definitely’
There’s absolutely no doubt, the players who play, and have had success at the Olympic Games, treasure it like nothing else.
Juan Martin Del Potro won the bronze medal in London 2012, and was overcome with emotion in the aftermath.
“I’m crying, but they’re tears of joy. It’s one of the best matches of my career. Words can’t describe it. It’s as big as winning a Grand Slam.”
Australia’s own Matthew Ebden, who took home the doubles gold medal with John Peers, spoke about his love in playing for the country, before the event began.
“When you grow up as a tennis player, the Grand Slams are your real focus. Then you start to realise, playing for your country is the ultimate honour. To represent your country in your sport at the Olympics, it’s the highest peak and achievement for any sportsman or sportswoman, and I just can’t wait to join all my fellow athletes in Paris.”
Following Qinwen Zheng’s stunning individual gold at Paris, she was also quick to point out just how important representing your country is.
"The honour of our country always surpasses individual achievements. I believe that every Chinese person agrees to this. So, when I was able to make history and become the first player to win an Olympic singles gold medal, I felt that all the sweat, effort, tears, and hardships were worth it at that moment,"
The challenge lies in defining the format that would best serve this vision of a team event.
There are two main formats that I could see working (with multiple nuances and adjustments within these).
Option 1: The Team Event
Composition: Each country fields a team comprising two men and two women, with a reserve player if necessary.
Matches: The competition consists of four singles matches and two doubles matches (either men’s and women’s or two mixed doubles).
Draw: A 32-country draw following a knockout format.
Match Outcomes: If a country secures a clean sweep in the four singles matches, the doubles matches are rendered unnecessary. In case of a tie (three matches each), the outcome is determined by sets won or games won.
Advantages: This format would encourage a Davis Cup-like atmosphere, developing genuine team spirit and camaraderie.
Disadvantages: Elite players like Novak Djokovic, who are pursuing the elusive Olympic Gold, might be disadvantaged, as their success would partially depend on their teammates. Moreover, top players from countries with weaker tennis programs might opt out, with the understanding that their chances of medalling are slim.
Option 2: Individual Events with a Team Component
Ranking Points: Reintroduce ranking points for Olympic Games participation, most likely at a Masters level.
Structure: Maintain the current men’s and women’s singles, and men’s and women’s doubles formats, but eliminate the mixed doubles event.
Medals: Award individual medals as usual. Team medals are determined by aggregating the total ranking points accrued across all four events.
Advantages: This format accommodates countries lacking a top-tier singles player but boasting a strong, consistent group of players. It also preserves individual incentives for players from countries with less depth.
To illustrate the potential result of a team event, if we consider a hypothetical points allocation based on a Masters 1000 system (and adding a bronze medal allocation of points), for this year’s Olympic singles and doubles events, the team medals would have been awarded as follows:
Gold: USA
Silver: Italy
Bronze: Spain
Not co-incidentally, this aligns very closely with the current landscape of tennis, highlighting the nations which have plenty of depth in their ranks.
The perennial debate over tennis's place in the Olympics, is generally fueled by players' tendency to prioritize events with ranking points and prize money. Transitioning to a team event format could incentivize greater participation, and create a whole new dynamic, similar to traditional team formats such as Davis Cup and BLK Cup. Only you get the feeling that the atmosphere for an Olympic team event would ramp up beyond anything we’ve ever seen before.
As an example of the kind of situation that could arise, take the Spanish women’s doubles team, who just won the bronze medal in Paris. Following their victory, they then also find themselves with the chance to win a team gold medal, should Carlos Alcaraz can triumph over Novak Djokovic in the singles. You would have the entire Spanish contingent in the stadium, cheering every point, embodying exactly what we want of the Olympics.
Reimagining Olympic tennis as a team event has the potential to revolutionize the sport’s role in the Games. Whether through a single team event, an individual format combined a team component, or possibly a completely different format, a new transformation could bring Olympic tennis to a whole new place. A place where there is no longer a question of whether tennis deserves a seat at the Olympic table.
If Alexander Zverev’s comments after winning the Tokyo gold medal mean anything, tennis won’t be going anywhere. But we could make it better….
”This is so much bigger than anything else in sports. The gold medal for me, the value for me is incredible, because you’re not playing for yourself, you’re playing for your whole country….I don’t want to talk about the next Grand Slam because I just won the Olympic Games. To me, there is nothing bigger.”
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