Despite their wealth and fame the Olympics remain a holy grail for the world’s top tennis players, writes senior correspondent Mike Osborne
Redemption will be the key motivation for Australia’s leading singles players Alex de Minaur and Ajla Tomljanovic when they step on to the red clay of Roland Garros at the Paris Olympics.
Both were named in Australia’s nine-strong team to contest the singles and doubles at the Paris Games which start on July 27, just two weeks after Wimbledon.
De Minaur is Australia’s best medal prospect in the singles and has a chance in the doubles too with Alexei Popryin, while world No.1 doubles player Matt Ebden and John Peers, the Tokyo mixed bronze medallist with Ash Barty, are the nation’s best chance in the doubles.
Australia’s only gold medal at the Olympics so far came at Atlanta 1996 when Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge won the men’s doubles before adding a silver medal at the Sydney 2000 Games.
De Minaur says he was determined to become an Olympian after being forced out of the Tokyo Games when he tested positive to Covid, while Tomljanovic wants to prove she’s recovered from a luckless run of injuries and is ready to fulfil her potential.
“I was shattered,” de Minaur said earlier this year about how contracting Covid in Tokyo ruined his childhood dream to represent Australia at an Olympics.
“It (the Games) was a priority back then, and it still is. I have always wanted to be an Olympian and I am just so excited to represent the green and gold.”
Top 10 player de Minaur had a historic run at the French Open a month ago, beating Russian world no.4 and grand slam winner Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round before losing to beaten finalist Alexander Zverev of Germany in the quarter finals.
“I’ve had my eyes set on Paris and the Olympic Games is probably one of the highest accolades you can achieve,” the 25-year-old said.
“It is so special and of course you want to do your best because you’re not just playing for yourself, you’re playing for your team and your country.
“I am really looking forward to just immersing myself in what it means to be an Olympian. I am excited to see all the other sports (and) meeting some of my fellow athletes.”
For Croatian-born Tomljanovic, Paris will be her second Olympics after Tokyo and the recovering 31-year-old wants to improve on her career-high ranking of 33 from 2022.
Since then a run of bad luck, including knee surgery in 2023 and an operation on her uterus this year, has hampered her progress.
Now with a protected ranking of 33 Tomljanovic made the final in Birmingham recently before receiving a wildcard for Wimbledon. Now she has the chance to make amends in Paris after losing in the first round at the French Open this year and in the second round at the Tokyo Olympics.
“It feels amazing to be selected to my second Olympic team,” she said. “When Tokyo ended, I remember thinking to myself I have to work really hard to make it to Paris because being at the Olympics was a dream come true and I wanted to experience it again.
“I am feeling good, I feel like every match I have under my belt brings me closer to the level of play I want to get to. Physically I am pulling up well after matches, which is the most important thing, so I am very happy with my health, and I think the more time I get on court the better I will be for Paris.”
While Tomljanovic will be Australia’s only player in the women’s singles at the Paris Games, de Minaur will be joined by Alexei Popyrin, Chris O’Connell and Rinky Hijikata.
Australia’s no.2 ranked player Jordan Thompson had qualified for Paris but joined a number of other international players who have opted to miss the Olympics – either to chase ranking points or because they feel the change of surfaces from grass at Wimbledon back to clay, before heading to the hard courts in the US will be too tough on their bodies.
That attitude contracts with leading players including world number one Jannik Sinner who are targeting the Olympics with the Italian planning on playing both singles and doubles.
Popyrin, the world No. 47, is just as passionate about Paris as de Minaur and Tomjlanovic.
“Qualifying for the Olympics is probably the biggest goal this year for me,” he said. “It’s an event that I think is the most prestigious in the world. “For me to be able to represent my country in the Olympics is a dream come true. I never thought growing up that I would be able to do that.”
Popyrin and de Minaur will play doubles together in Paris while Australia’s world No.1 ranked doubles player Ebden will play with Peers.
Ebden, 36, won the Australian Open doubles earlier this year with India’s Rohan Bopanna and the pair also made the semi-finals at the French Open.
In the women’s doubles Australia’s world No.9 player Ellen Perez will partner Daria Saville with former world No.1 doubles player Storm Hunter out injured.
The Australian team – led by captains Sam Stosur, a five-time Olympian, and three-time Olympian Lleyton Hewitt – could still qualify for one mixed doubles team when entries are finalised just before the Games start.
Apart from Barty and Peers, Australia has won four other Olympic tennis bronze medals including Alicia Molik at Athens 2004, Rachel McQuillan and Nicole Bradtke (then Provis) in Barcelona 1992, Liz Smylie and Wendy Turnbull at Seoul 1988, and Edwin Flack (a two-time gold medallist in the 800m and 1500m) who teamed with Englishman George Robertson at the first modern Games in Athens 1896.
You can read other tennis stories from Sportshounds here: Alex de Minaur | Ebden and Bopanna | Jannik Sinner | Alex the Aggressor
Michael Osborne has been a journalist for more than four decades including 35 years with the national news agency Australian Associated Press, rising from junior reporter to Editor.
He was AAP Editor for 11 years and served four years as Head of Sport and Racing. He was also posted to London and Beijing as AAP’s Bureau Chief and Foreign Correspondent.
He has worked at six Olympics and five Commonwealth Games, covered tennis grand slams, golf majors, international cricket, rugby world cups and numerous sporting world championships. He also co-ordinated and managed AAP’s teams and coverage at three Olympic Games in Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
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