ITF announces entries for Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games
The ITF has announced the complete entry lists for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Tennis Events. The Olympic Tennis Event will be held at the Ariake Tennis Park from Saturday 24 July until Sunday 1 August, with the Paralympic Tennis Event following at the same venue from Friday 27 August until Saturday 4 September.
A total of 46 nations are represented in this year’s Olympic Tennis Event, with 31 nations contesting the Paralympic Tennis Event. Novak Djokovic and Ashleigh Barty head the Olympic entries, and Shingo Kunieda, Diede de Groot and Dylan Alcott top the Paralympic line-up.
According to the ITF’s Qualification Systems, entries are based on the ATP and WTA rankings of 14 June, and ITF wheelchair tennis rankings of 7 June. All players must be in good standing with their national association and have made themselves available to represent their country in the ITF’s international team competitions; Davis Cup by Rakuten, Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas and the BNP Paribas World Team Cup. The entry lists are still subject to change.
There will be strong representation from the host nation across both events, with four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka bidding for women’s singles gold, and two-time Paralympic singles champion Kunieda and Rio 2016 bronze medallist Yui Kamiji in contention for wheelchair tennis gold.
Two-time Olympic champion Andy Murray returns to defend his men’s singles title having received an ITF Place as the player with the most Olympic and Grand Slam titles outside the direct entries. A new women’s champion is guaranteed in the absence of defending champion Monica Puig through injury. Gordon Reid and Alcott will defend their Paralympic singles titles, while there will also be a new women’s wheelchair champion.
Entries for the 16-pair Olympic mixed doubles event will be determined on site during the Olympic Tennis Event on 27 July. Entries for the three doubles events at the Paralympic Tennis Event will be announced at the end of the July.