The U.S. Olympic tennis team is beginning to take shape as the French Open serves as the final tournament in Olympic qualification for the upcoming games in Paris. While the official roster is not expected to be announced until later this month, several American athletes have already secured their spots through their performance at the French Open.
In women’s singles, Danielle Collins and Madison Keys have mathematically assured their spots in the Olympic games, joining the previously qualified Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula. However, it’s worth noting that qualified players occasionally choose to opt out of the Games to focus on hard court tournaments in the U.S. instead of participating in the Olympics.
In the event that any of the qualified women opt out, Emma Navarro is next in line to take an Olympic singles spot. It is important to note that a nation can qualify no more than four players per gender in singles.
On the men’s side, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, and Ben Shelton have also mathematically clinched their spots before the French Open. However, Shelton has already decided not to participate in the Olympics, opening up a spot for another player. Frances Tiafoe and Sebastian Korda were the front-runners to secure the last two available men’s singles spots and did so after their performance at the French Open.
Chris Eubanks is next in line to make the team if one of the previously mentioned male players decides not to participate in the Olympics. Olympic tennis entries are due by June 19, which means that the final roster will be clearer in the coming weeks.
It’s also worth mentioning that up to two more U.S. men and women can be added to compete in doubles and mixed doubles, with priority given to players ranked in the top 10 in the world in doubles. Rajeev Ram has already secured his spot in men’s doubles, and Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Desirae Krawczyk are the best-positioned Americans in women’s doubles. Qualified singles players are also eligible to compete in doubles and mixed doubles at the Olympics.
In the previous Olympics in Tokyo, the U.S. failed to win a single medal in tennis for the first time in the modern era. With Tokyo being a continuation of the medal program in 1988, there are high hopes for American athletes to shine in this year’s Olympic tennis events.
The road to the Paris Olympics is certainly an exciting one for American tennis stars, and fans will be eagerly anticipating the final roster announcement to see which athletes will represent the U.S. on the global stage.