# Tennis at the 2016 Summer Olympics

The tennis tournament at the 2016 Summer Olympics was held at the Olympic Tennis Centre from 6 to 14 August. The competition was played on a fast hardcourt surface used in numerous North American tournaments that aims to minimize disruption for players.
Initially a total of 172 players were expected to compete in five events: singles and doubles for both men and women and the return of the mixed doubles for the second consecutive time. However, eventually 105 male and 94 female players were granted places in the draws. The Olympic tennis events were run and organized by the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and were part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tours.
The 2016 Olympic tournament was the fifteenth edition of tennis at the Olympics (excluding the two Olympics, 1968 and 1984, when tennis was a demonstration event), and the eighth since 1988, when the sport was officially brought back into the Games. Unlike previous editions of the Olympic event, it was decided that the Olympic tournaments would not offer ATP and WTA ranking points for the players.

## Summary

Serena Williams was the defending champion in the women's singles, but she lost to Elina Svitolina in the third round. Unseeded Puerto Rican Monica Puig won the gold medal, defeating Germany's world number two Angelique Kerber in the final, 6–4, 4–6, 6–1. This marked Puerto Rico's first ever Olympic gold medal and made Puig her country's first ever female medalist.
In the men's singles, British flagbearer Andy Murray was the defending champion from the London tournament at Wimbledon, while Novak Djokovic was the number one seed and aiming to complete the Career Golden Slam. However, he was defeated in the first round by Argentina's Juan Martín del Potro. Murray defended his title, defeating del Potro in the final, 7–5, 4–6, 6–2, 7–5. With the victory, Murray became the first player, male or female, to win singles gold at two consecutive Olympics and the first player to defend an Olympic title since Serena and Venus Willams won the women's doubles title in Beijing and London. This, combined with a second Wimbledon title, becoming the first-ever three-time BBC Sports Personality of the Year and ending the year as the #1-ranked player by the ATP after having led Great Britain to their first Davis Cup since 1936 in 2015, contributed to his being knighted in the New Year's Honours List.
Serena and Venus Williams were the two-time defending champions and number one seeds in the women's doubles, but they lost in the first round to Czech pairing Lucie Šafářová and Barbora Strýcová. The defeat ended the sisters' 15 match winning streak in women's doubles at the Olympics, and also marked their first loss together in Olympic competition. Russian duo Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina won the gold medal, defeating Timea Bacsinszky and Martina Hingis in the final, 6–4, 6–4. Martina Hingis had been attempting to become just the fifth woman to complete the Career Golden Slam in doubles.
In the men's doubles, Bob and Mike Bryan were the defending champions, but they withdrew before the competition as a result of health concerns. French duo Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut were the number one seeds, but lost in the first round to Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah from Colombia. Spaniards Marc López and Rafael Nadal won the gold medal, defeating Romanian duo Florin Mergea and Horia Tecău in the final, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4.
Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi were the defending champions in the mixed doubles tournament, but they were not able to defend their title as a result of Azarenka's withdrawal due to pregnancy. American pair Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock won the gold medal, defeating their compatriots Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram in the final, 6–7$^{(3–7)}$, 6–1, [10–7].

## Medal summary
### Events

| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Men's singles | Andy Murray Great Britain | Juan Martín del Potro Argentina | Kei Nishikori Japan |
| Men's doubles | Spain (ESP) Marc López Rafael Nadal | Romania (ROU) Florin Mergea Horia Tecău | United States (USA) Steve Johnson Jack Sock |
| Women's singles | Monica Puig Puerto Rico | Angelique Kerber Germany | Petra Kvitová Czech Republic |
| Women's doubles | Russia (RUS) Ekaterina Makarova Elena Vesnina | Switzerland (SUI) Timea Bacsinszky Martina Hingis | Czech Republic (CZE) Lucie Šafářová Barbora Strýcová |
| Mixed doubles | United States (USA) Bethanie Mattek-Sands Jack Sock | United States (USA) Venus Williams Rajeev Ram | Czech Republic (CZE) Lucie Hradecká Radek Štěpánek |

### Medal table

| Rank | NOC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | United States (USA) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Great Britain (GBR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Puerto Rico (PUR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Russia (RUS) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Spain (ESP) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Argentina (ARG) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Germany (GER) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Romania (ROU) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Switzerland (SUI) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Czech Republic (CZE) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Japan (JPN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (11 entries) | Totals (11 entries) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 |

## Qualification

For the singles competitions, the top 56 players in the world rankings on 6 June 2016 of the WTA and ATP tours are qualified for the Olympics. However, entry has been limited to four players from a country. This means that players who are ranked in the top 56 but represent the NOCs with four higher-ranked players already participating do not qualify, allowing players who are ranked outside of the top 56 but from countries with fewer than four players already qualified to compete. Of the remaining eight slots, six of them will be determined by the ITF's Olympic Committee, taking into account ranking and spread of nations represented, while the final two slots are awarded by the IOC to players from small nations.
In the doubles competitions, 24 teams are automatically qualified for the Games based on the rankings to be published on 6 June 2016, subject to a maximum of two teams per NOC. Players in the top ten of the doubles rankings could reserve a place, provided they had a partner to compete with. Meanwhile, the remaining eight teams were decided by the ITF Olympic Committee.
A player could only participate if he or she was available to be drafted to represent the player's country in Davis Cup or Fed Cup for two of the following years: 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, with one of the years being either 2015 or 2016.

## Competition format

The tennis competition at the Olympic Games consisted of a single elimination tournament. The size of the singles draw, 64, meant that there were six rounds of competition in total, with five in the doubles owing to its smaller draw size of 32, and 4 for mixed with its draw size only being 16. Players reaching the semifinal were assured of an opportunity to compete for a medal, with the two losing semifinalists contesting a bronze medal match.
All matches were the best of three sets, except for the men's singles final which was the best of five sets. The tie break operated in every set, including the final one (a first for the Olympics). In the mixed doubles the third set was played as a match tie-break (10 points).

## Schedule

| Date | 6 August | 7 August | 8 August | 9 August | 10 August | 11 August | 12 August | 13 August | 14 August |
| Day | Saturday | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Start time | 11:00 | 11:00 | 11:00 | 11:00 | — | 11:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 |
| Men's singles | Round of 64 | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 32 | play cancelled due to rain | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Bronze & final |
| Women's singles | Round of 64 | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | play cancelled due to rain | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Bronze & final | — |
| Men's doubles | Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | play cancelled due to rain | Semifinals | Bronze & final | — | — |
| Women's doubles | Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | play cancelled due to rain | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Bronze | Final |
| Mixed doubles | — | — | — | — | play cancelled due to rain | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Bronze & final |

## Singles seeds
### Men's singles

| Seed | Rank | Player | Status |
| 1 | 1 | Novak Djokovic Serbia | First round, lost to Juan Martín del Potro Argentina |
| 2 | 2 | Andy Murray Great Britain | Won Gold medal match against Juan Martín del Potro Argentina |
| 3 | 5 | Rafael Nadal Spain | Lost semi-final to Juan Martín del Potro Argentina Lost Bronze medal match to Kei Nishikori Japan |
| 4 | 6 | Kei Nishikori Japan | Lost semi-final to Andy Murray Great Britain Won Bronze medal match against Rafael Nadal Spain |
| 5 | 9 | Jo-Wilfried Tsonga France | Second round, lost to Gilles Müller Luxembourg |
| 6 | 11 | Gaël Monfils France | Quarterfinal, lost to Kei Nishikori Japan |
| 7 | 12 | David Ferrer Spain | Second round, lost to Evgeny Donskoy Russia |
| 8 | 13 | David Goffin Belgium | Third round, lost to Thomaz Bellucci Brazil |
| 9 | 14 | Marin Čilić Croatia | Third round, lost to Gaël Monfils France |
| 10 | 16 | Roberto Bautista Agut Spain | Quarterfinal, lost to Juan Martín del Potro Argentina |
| 11 | 21 | Pablo Cuevas Uruguay | Second round, lost to Thomaz Bellucci Brazil |
| 12 | 22 | Steve Johnson United States | Quarterfinal, lost to Andy Murray Great Britain |
| 13 | 23 | Philipp Kohlschreiber Germany | Second round, lost to Andrej Martin Slovakia |
| 14 | 25 | Jack Sock United States | First round, lost to Taro Daniel Japan |
| 15 | 31 | Gilles Simon France | Third round, lost to Rafael Nadal Spain |
| 16 | 32 | Benoit Paire France | Second round, lost to Fabio Fognini Italy |
The following players received an ITF invitation:
* Nikoloz Basilashvili Georgia
* Yūichi Sugita Japan
* Taro Daniel Japan
* Andrej Martin Slovakia
* Thomas Fabbiano Italy
* Radu Albot Moldova
The following players received a Tripartite Commission invitation:
* Mirza Bašić Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Darian King Barbados
The following players were originally in the entry list and supposed to be seeded but withdrew prior to the event:
* Roger Federer (SUI) – Knee injury
* Stan Wawrinka (SUI) – Back injury
* Milos Raonic (CAN) – Anxiety over Zika virus situation
* Tomáš Berdych (CZE) – Anxiety over Zika virus situation
* Richard Gasquet (FRA) – Back injury

### Women's singles

| Seed | Rank | Player | Status |
| 1 | 1 | Serena Williams United States | Third round, lost to Elina Svitolina Ukraine |
| 2 | 2 | Angelique Kerber Germany | Lost Gold medal match to Monica Puig Puerto Rico |
| 3 | 4 | Garbiñe Muguruza Spain | Third round, lost to Monica Puig Puerto Rico |
| 4 | 5 | Agnieszka Radwańska Poland | First round, lost to Zheng Saisai China |
| 5 | 6 | Venus Williams United States | First round, lost to Kirsten Flipkens Belgium |
| 6 | 8 | Roberta Vinci Italy | First round, lost to Anna Karolína Schmiedlová Slovakia |
| 7 | 9 | Madison Keys United States | Lost Bronze medal match to Petra Kvitová Czech Republic |
| 8 | 10 | Svetlana Kuznetsova Russia | Third round, lost to Johanna Konta Great Britain |
| 9 | 12 | Carla Suárez Navarro Spain | Third round, lost to Madison Keys United States |
| 10 | 13 | Johanna Konta Great Britain | Quarterfinal, lost to Angelique Kerber Germany |
| 11 | 14 | Petra Kvitová Czech Republic | Won Bronze medal match against Madison Keys United States |
| 12 | 15 | Timea Bacsinszky Switzerland | First round, lost to Zhang Shuai China |
| 13 | 18 | Samantha Stosur Australia | Third round, lost to Angelique Kerber Germany |
| 14 | 19 | Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Russia | Second round, lost to Monica Puig Puerto Rico |
| 15 | 20 | Elina Svitolina Ukraine | Quarterfinal, lost to Petra Kvitová Czech Republic |
| 16 | 21 | Barbora Strýcová Czech Republic | Second round, lost to Sara Errani Italy |
The following players received an ITF invitation:
* Mariana Duque Mariño Colombia
* Polona Hercog Slovenia
* Magda Linette Poland
* Zheng Saisai China
* Teliana Pereira Brazil
* Ons Jabeur Tunisia
The following players received a Tripartite Commission invitation:
* Verónica Cepede Royg Paraguay
* Stephanie Vogt Liechtenstein
The following players were originally in the entry list and supposed to be seeded but withdrew prior to the event:
* Simona Halep (ROU) – Health concerns
* Victoria Azarenka (BLR) – Pregnancy
* Belinda Bencic (SUI) – Wrist injury
* Karolína Plíšková (CZE) – Health concerns
* Dominika Cibulková (SVK) – Leg injury

## Doubles seeds
### Men's doubles

| Seed | Rank | Team | Status |
| 1 | 3 | Pierre-Hugues Herbert & Nicolas Mahut France | First round, lost to Juan Sebastian Cabal & Robert Farah Colombia |
| 2 | 6 | Andy Murray & Jamie Murray Great Britain | First round, lost to Thomaz Bellucci & André Sá Brazil |
| 3 | 11 | Marcelo Melo & Bruno Soares Brazil | Quarterfinal, lost to Florin Mergea & Horia Tecău Romania |
| 4 | 20 | Gael Monfils & Jo-Wilfried Tsonga France | First round, lost to Brian Baker & Rajeev Ram United States |
| 5 | 24 | Florin Mergea & Horia Tecău Romania | Lost Gold medal match to Marc López & Rafael Nadal Spain |
| 6 | 26 | Marc López & Rafael Nadal Spain | Won Gold medal match against Florin Mergea & Horia Tecău Romania |
| 7 | 27 | Daniel Nestor & Vasek Pospisil Canada | Lost Bronze medal match to Steve Johnson & Jack Sock United States |
| 8 | 28 | Roberto Bautista Agut & David Ferrer Spain | Quarterfinal, lost to Steve Johnson & Jack Sock United States |
The following players received an ITF invitation:
* Lukáš Rosol & Radek Štěpánek Czech Republic
* Marcus Daniell & Michael Venus New Zealand
* Thomaz Bellucci & André Sá Brazil
* Julio Peralta & Hans Podlipnik-Castillo Chile
* Andrej Martin & Igor Zelenay Slovakia
* Illya Marchenko & Denys Molchanov Ukraine
* Santiago González & Miguel Ángel Reyes-Varela Mexico
* Sanchai Ratiwatana & Sonchat Ratiwatana Thailand

### Women's doubles

| Seed | Rank | Team | Status |
| 1 | 7 | Serena Williams & Venus Williams United States | First round, lost to Lucie Šafářová & Barbora Strýcová Czech Republic |
| 2 | 7 | Caroline Garcia & Kristina Mladenovic France | First round, lost to Misaki Doi & Eri Hozumi Japan |
| 3 | 12 | Chan Yung-jan & Chan Hao-ching Chinese Taipei | Quarterfinal, lost to Martina Hingis & Timea Bacsinszky Switzerland |
| 4 | 16 | Garbiñe Muguruza & Carla Suárez Navarro Spain | Quarterfinal, lost to Elena Vesnina & Ekaterina Makarova Russia |
| 5 | 16 | Martina Hingis & Timea Bacsinszky Switzerland | Lost Gold medal match to Elena Vesnina & Ekaterina Makarova Russia |
| 6 | 20 | Lucie Hradecká & Andrea Hlaváčková Czech Republic | Lost Bronze medal match to Lucie Šafářová & Barbora Strýcová Czech Republic |
| 7 | 22 | Elena Vesnina & Ekaterina Makarova Russia | Won Gold medal match against Martina Hingis & Timea Bacsinszky Switzerland |
| 8 | 32 | Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci Italy | Quarterfinal, lost to Lucie Šafářová & Barbora Strýcová Czech Republic |
The following players received an ITF invitation:
* Gabriela Dabrowski & Eugenie Bouchard Canada
* Misaki Doi & Eri Hozumi Japan
* Lyudmyla Kichenok & Nadiia Kichenok Ukraine
* Raluca Olaru & Andreea Mitu Romania
* Tímea Babos & Réka Luca Jani Hungary
* Zhang Shuai & Peng Shuai China
* Teliana Pereira & Paula Cristina Gonçalves Brazil
* Klaudia Jans-Ignacik & Paula Kania Poland

### Mixed doubles

| Seed | Rank | Team | Status |
| 1 | 4 | Caroline Garcia & Nicolas Mahut France | First round, lost to Teliana Pereira & Marcelo Melo Brazil |
| 2 | 6 | Kristina Mladenovic & Pierre-Hugues Herbert France | First round, lost to Roberta Vinci & Fabio Fognini Italy |
| 3 | 9 | Garbiñe Muguruza & Rafael Nadal Spain | First round, withdrew |
| 4 | 16 | Sania Mirza & Rohan Bopanna India | Lost Bronze medal match to Lucie Hradecká & Radek Štěpánek Czech Republic |