 "Paris Olympics 2024: Djokovic, Nadal, Murray, Swiatek, Gauff in tennis entry list")
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are the highlight names in the tennis singles entry list for the Paris Olympics.
The entry list for tennis at the Paris Olympics was released by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) on Thursday. The list also features Daniil Medvedev, who will technically will be competing as a “neutral” rather than representing Russia because of their that country’s ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent ban by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Djokovic (Serbia) and Murray (Great Britain) are both 37, and Nadal (Spain) is 38, and all own multiple Grand Slam titles. Djokovic holds a men’s-record 24 majors — but he has never won a gold medal at the Olympics.
Nadal, next on the men’s Slam list with 22, won golds in singles in 2008 and in doubles in 2016. He skipped Wimbledon to prepare for the Olympics, which will be held on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
Murray, winner of three major championships, is the only tennis player with consecutive singles gold medals at the Summer Games. He has said he plans to retire after the Paris Olympics.
The leading women on the entry list are Iga Swiatek (Poland), Coco Gauff (United States) and Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan).
Aryna Sabalenka, who is missing Wimbledon with injury , decided not to go to the Olympics . Her nation, Belarus, aided Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, so she would have competed as a “neutral” athlete, like Medvedev will be.
Swiatek is a five-time Grand Slam champion — including at the French Open in four of the past five years — and Gauff and Rybakina have won one major apiece.
Gauff made the USA team for the Tokyo Games three years ago, but she did not go after testing COVID-19 positive.
There are 64-player draws for women’s and men’s singles, and 32 teams each in women’s and men’s doubles. The 16 entries for mixed doubles will be determined on 24 July. The draw to determine the brackets will be in Paris on 25 July.
Among the other players announced are three-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz — who will play doubles alongside Nadal for Spain — Jannik Sinner (Italy), Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Alexander Zverev (Germany), 2008 doubles gold medalist Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland), four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka (Japan), 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu (Canada) and 2018 Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark).
Lebanon will make its debut in Olympic tennis, with Benjamin Hassan entered in singles and also partnering with Hady Habib in doubles.
Paris Olympics will hold tennis matches from 27 July to 4 August at Roland Garros, the site of the French Open — where Nadal is a 14-time champion.
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