Tennis at the Summer Olympics
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 summer Games since then.
Medals
In 1896, 1900, 1904, 1988, 1992, semifinal losers shared bronze medals. In all other years, a playoff match for the bronze medal was staged. The Olympic tournaments have increased in perceived importance since their reintroduction, with some players, critics and sports pundits considering winning gold at the Olympics just as prestigious as winning a major title and some considering it even more prestigious.Gold medal records
Both Serena 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. Venus Williams and Kathleen McKane Godfree are the all-time record holders for the most Olympic tennis medals, with five each. Andy Murray is the only player to have won two singles gold medals, and the only singles player to have retained the Olympic title. Nicolás Massú, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams are the only players in the Open Era to win both the singles and same-sex doubles tournaments at one Games, doing so in 2004, 2000, and [Tennis at the Tennis at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's singles|2012 Summer Olympics|2012] respectively.Golden Slams
A player who wins an Olympic or Paralympic gold medal and all four majors in the same year is said to have won a Golden Slam, while a player that has won all four Grand Slam titles and Olympic gold during their career has a 'career Golden Slam'. As of 2026, Steffi Graf is the only player to have won a single-year Golden Slam. Gigi Fernandez, Serena Williams and Venus Williams are the only players to complete career Golden Slam in doubles twice. In men's tennis, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic each won career Golden Slams. Multiple doubles players have achieved the feat, with Serena Williams the only player to complete the career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles. In 2021, wheelchair tennis players Diede de Groot and Dylan Alcott achieved the equivalent wheelchair tennis prize with Paralympic gold, with Alcott additionally completing the single-year Golden Slam.Tiebreaker games
Since 2021, the deciding set has a 7-point tiebreaker game to decide the match at 6-all. Should the tiebreaker game be tied at 6-all, whoever first establishes a clear two point lead wins the set and the match.Summary
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| 1896 | 2 |  Great Britain|1896 Summer OlympicsSurfaceThe playing surface of the court varies between Olympic Games. It has been on hard court for every Olympics since 1984 except for the 1992 and [Tennis at the Tennis at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Men's singles|2024 Summer Olympics|2024 Olympics] and the 2012 Olympics. The changing playing surface gives certain players different advantages and disadvantages not seen in most other Olympic sports. On three occasions, the event has been held, wholly or partly, at a Grand Slam venue - twice at the All-England Tennis Club at Wimbledon and once at Roland Garros in Paris. In both 2012 and 2024, the Olympic men's singles final was a repeat of the recent Grand Slam final at the same venue, and on both occasions the defeated Grand Slam finalist gained revenge in the Olympic final.Events= demonstration event, = exhibition event
Champions and venuesList of gold medalists and venues where the Games took place listed below.Amateur Era (1896–1924)
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