Here is how tennis players can qualify for the 2024 Olympics

At the Tokyo Olympics, Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev each won the biggest titles of their careers and took home gold medals for their country. Bencic will not defend her title as she announced her pregnancy in November 2023. Zverev will likely qualify for the 2024 Olympics, but there is a lot more that goes into qualification than just having a high enough ranking.

Each National Olympic Committee is allowed to qualify 12 total players for the Olympics. This includes both six male and six female players. In order to be eligible for the tournament, a player must be in good standing with their country's tennis association and with the International Tennis Association.

Next, a player will have to have competed enough times for their country in the Davis Cup or Billie Jean King Cup. Once a player has been deemed eligible, they will qualify for the respective draws based on a number of criteria.

How do tennis players qualify for the 2024 Olympics?

Singles Qualification

The singles draw at the 2024 Paris Olympics will consist of 64 players each. Generally, players qualify by their singles rankings on June 10, 2024. However, each country is only allowed to enter 4 players per singles draw. So, for countries like the United States, Czech Republic, Russia, and Spain, many players will not qualify because there will be at least four compatriots that are ranked higher than them. 56 players in each draw will qualify based on their singles ranking.

The host nation automatically receives a spot in the draw, assuming that their quota of 4 players is not already met. If the quota has been met, then a 57th player will be chosen based on their ranking. Then, four spots are given to the winners or finalists of the most recent Pan-American Games, Asian Games, and African Games. Two spots are then allotted to previous gold medalists or grand slam champions, and a final spot is awarded to a "Universality place" that is voted on by a committee.

Doubles Qualification

The men's and women's doubles draws will consist of 32 teams, with a maximum of 2 teams per country in each draw. The previous Olympics saw the legendary partnership of Barbora Krejickova and Katerina Siniakova and future world number ones Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic take home the gold.

Players in the top 10 of the doubles rankings will qualify for the tournament, so long as their partner is ranked in the top 300 in singles or doubles. After that, the host nation receives an entry into the draw. Following that, the next teams will qualify based on their combined singles or doubles rankings, whichever is highest. Teams 25 through 32 will then qualify based on "singles priority," which will order teams based on the highest-ranked teams made up of one or more players who entered into the singles draws. Priority will be given to teams where both players qualified for the singles draws.

Mixed Doubles

The mixed doubles qualification is much simpler than the other draws. The draw consists of 16 teams, with countries only able to enter one team. The host country will get a team, and then the remaining 15 will be chosen by the highest combined ranking of the entrants.

Stories to Watch

Over the next months, players will joust for positions in the world rankings and within their own countries. Pay particular attention to the United States, as currently, Emma Navarro would claim the last singles spot for her country with her ranking of 20. However, Danielle Collins is in red-hot form and sits at 22 in the rankings.

In addition, potential doubles teams could come to light during the French Open and Wimbledon. Could Krejcikova and Siniakova reunite for a title defense? Could Rafael Nadal return alongside Carlos Alcaraz? The next months should prove interesting.