Tennis at the Summer Olympics


Tennis

Tennis was part of the Summer Olympic Games program from the inaugural 1896 Summer Olympics, but was dropped after the 1924 Summer Olympics due to disputes between the International Lawn Tennis Federation and the International Olympic Committee over how to define amateur players. After two appearances as a demonstration sport in 1968 and 1984, it returned as a full medal sport at the 1988 Summer Olympics open for all players regardless of their age and status and has been played at every edition of the Games since then.
, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka.
In 1896, 1900, 1904, 1988, and 1992, semifinal losers shared bronze medals. In all other years, a playoff match for the bronze medal was staged.
In the past, results from the Olympics used to have ranking points that the ATP and WTA added to their players annual totals in singles for that calendar year. This occurred from the 2004 Athens until the 2012 London editions. No points were awarded for the editions prior and for the 2016 Rio Olympics. While the ranking points amount did not equate with those given at the Grand Slam tournaments, the Olympic tournaments have increased in perceived importance since their reintroduction, with some players, critics and sports pundits considering winning the gold at the Olympics just as prestigious as winning a Grand Slam title.
Serena Williams and Venus Williams have each won a record four gold medals, three each as a doubles pairing, the only players to win the same Olympic event on three occasions. Kathleen McKane Godfree and Venus Williams are the all-time record holders for the most Olympic medals in tennis. Andy Murray is the only player to have won two singles gold medals, and the only singles player to have retained the Olympic title. Gigi Fernández and Mary Joe Fernández and Serena and Venus Williams achieved this feat in women’s doubles in 1992 and 1996, and 2008 and 2012 respectively.
A player who wins an Olympic gold medal and all four Grand Slam events in the same year is said to have won a Golden Slam. As of 2016, Steffi Graf is the only player to have completed this achievement.

Surface

The playing surface of the court varies between Olympic Games. It has been on hard court for every game since 1984 except for the 1992 Olympics and the 2012 Olympics. The changing playing surface gives certain players different advantages and disadvantages not seen in most other Olympic sports.

Events

= demonstration event, = exhibition event
Event9600040812202428–646872–8084889296000408121620Years
Men's singles 16
Men's singles 2
Men's doubles16
Men's doubles 2
Women's singles14
Women's singles 2
Women's doubles11
Mixed doubles8
Mixed doubles 1
Total24268550000444444555

Champions and venues since 1988

Participating nations

Nation9600040812202428–646872–8084889296000408121620Years
112
515688967610
1113
11
12123677107861010
3323513133211
222225
11
2425326
16813332539
11
11
1483
11
122
113434344710
23211227
327564235410
21222227
1254348459
13213357
22434
11
121
24551247
112
47811876
75554
103521322111112
112
4313
11
222
411115
114161010245747987916
212
1157635427811
26221181035656128715
713234214210
11114
11
13652155422212
613224247410
1352226
42224
14134317
48345886687712
24224575433612
322
2113
112
11
1112116
2213
261543228
11
11
121125
215115532310
311125
1313
7342116
221114
3213
11
13226777
122225
312115
354322568
245991087
11
4663
5574436
434415
335466528
472
15454217
4832467711912912
41684123645453114
3422433452211
2232124
11
11224
11
224265
51
5351967777101010121114
112
211115
34114
4353
1233
13223317
Nations6421014142715343848555252484456
Players1326365082751244564129177176182170169184184184
Nation9600040812202428–646872–8084889296000408121620Years

Medal tables

All years (1896–1924, 1988–2016)

1988–2016

1896–1924

Multiple medal winners (1896–2016)

RankNameGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Venus Williams4105
2 Serena Williams4004
3 Reginald Doherty3014
4 Vincent Richards2103
4 Andy Murray2103
6 Laurence Doherty2013
6 Mary Joe Fernández2013
6 Suzanne Lenglen2013
6 Charles Winslow2013
10 Rafael Nadal2002
10 John Pius Boland2002
10 Charlotte Cooper2002
10 Gigi Fernández2002
10 André Gobert2002
10 Arthur Gore2002
10 Edith Hannam2002
10 Nicolás Massú2002
10 Hazel Wightman2002
10 Helen Wills Moody2002
10 Beals Wright2002
21 Kathleen McKane Godfree1225
22 Charles Dixon1124
23 Max Décugis1113
23 Fernando González1113
23 Steffi Graf1113
23 Josiah Ritchie1113
27 Herbert Barrett1102
27 Elena Dementieva1102
27 Roger Federer1102
27 Harold Kitson1102
27 Dorothea Köring1102
27 Todd Woodbridge1102
27 Mark Woodforde1102
27 Max Woosnam1102
35 Mike Bryan1023
36 Victoria Azarenka1012
36 Marguerite Broquedis1012
36 Bob Bryan1012
36 Zina Garrison1012
36 Edgar Leonard1012
36 Miloš Mečíř1012
36 Jack Sock1012
43 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario0224
43 Gunnar Setterwall0224
45 Harold Mahony0213
45 Conchita Martínez0213
45 Jana Novotná0213
48 George Caridia0202
48 Henri Cochet0202
48 Dorothy Holman0202
48 Dionysios Kasdaglis0202
48 Ichiya Kumagae0202
48 Robert LeRoy0202
48 Yvonne Prévost0202
48 Virginia Ruano Pascual0202
48 Helena Suková0202
57 Alphonzo Bell0112
57 Sigrid Fick0112
57 Juan Martín del Potro0112
60 Albert Canet0022
60 Stefan Edberg0022
60 Goran Ivanišević0022
60 Marion Jones0022
60 Arthur Norris0022
60 Hedwiga Rosenbaumová0022