With his amazing performance against Carlos Alcaraz in the Men’s Singles final on August 4, Novak Djokovic finally achieved his dream of winning a gold medal for his country. He had won bronze in 2008 and hadn’t made it beyond the semifinals since then. With this realistically being his last Olympic competition, he will finally enter the Olympic history books as a gold medal champion.
Olympic tennis is one of the most beloved sports of the Games and is always a highlight. Tennis is such an international sport already that it is fun to see players competing for their countries instead of simply for a win. While the ATP rankings give a good idea of who the leading players will be, the pressures of the Olympic stage add a measure of uncertainty.
That level of uncertainty and the potential for an underdog to win a medal is what makes betting on Olympic tennis so appealing. Not everyone realizes that you can bet on the Olympics, but it’s actually one of the most popular international tournaments to bet on.
When you’re new to online sports betting, anything beyond placing basic moneyline bets can be confusing. Learning how to read and compare the odds at a site like askgamblers.com is a smart choice. When combined with your knowledge of tennis, the courts and the players, it gives you the tools you need to place smarter bets.Â
Whether you’re betting on the action or not, the Olympics always provide plenty of excitement and drama. In this article, we’ll look back at some of the most iconic Olympic tennis moments of all time.
Steffi Graf – Seoul 1988
When Steffi Graf stepped onto the court in Seoul in 1988, she was only 19 and little did she know she was about to make history. Graf had already achieved a Grand Slam that year and the timing couldn’t have been any better, because tennis was finally back at the Olympics.
After the 1924 Olympics, there had been a fierce debate between the International Lawn Tennis Federation and the International Olympic Committee about how to determine if a player was an amateur. With the protagonists unable to agree, tennis was removed from the Olympic Games. There were demonstration events in 1968 and 1984, but the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games were the first time tennis was included in over 60 years.
Steffi Graf swept through the early rounds without any trouble. In the final, she continued to show dominance and achieved something that no one before or since has ever been able to achieve – the Golden Grand Slam. It was an iconic performance that cemented her place as one of the greatest tennis players in history.
Andre Agassi and Lindsay Davenport – Atlanta 1996
Alongside soccer, tennis is one of the most international sports. Players from all over the world compete at the most elite level and win titles. Unlike sports like basketball and table tennis, where we expect players from the same country to win every year (the USA and China, respectively), tennis gold could be won by anyone.
That’s what made the wins by Andre Agassi and Lindsay Davenport so special. For only the second time in the history of Olympic tennis, the winners of the Men’s and Women’s Singles events were both from the host country.
Winning on their home turf (technically Plexipave) added an extra layer to the magic of an Olympic win. The Women’s Doubles event was also won by an American pair, Gigi Fernández and Mary Joe Fernández. Australia managed to capture the Men’s Doubles gold, to round out the table.
Venus and Serena Williams – Sydney 2000
The Sydney Olympic Games marked the year that the Williams sisters showed the world just who was going to dominate women’s tennis for the next two decades. They had already been playing professionally for a few years and capturing some attention, but their careers were about to take off.
Venus Williams came to Sydney with her eyes on gold and she achieved that goal, beating Monica Seles, Sanchez Vicario and Elena Dementieva on her way. It was part of an impressive 35-match winning streak.
That wasn’t all. As the USA Women’s Doubles pair, Venus and Serena won their first of three Olympic gold medals for that event. They would repeat the feat in 2008 in Beijing and in 2012 in London.
Rafael Nadal – Beijing 2008
Men’s tennis for the last two decades has been dominated by four players – Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. Between them, they’ve won 340 career titles, and even when they lost, it was usually only to each other.
Their careers have all had highs and lows, with the lows usually just being small lulls. In 2008, it was time for one of Rafael Nadal’s highs. That summer has been called the summer of Nadal because he won both Roland Garros and Wimbledon before arriving in Beijing.
Nadal won gold and became the ATP’s Men’s No. 1 for the first time in his career. Federer had held that spot for over four years. Nadal’s win in Beijing proved that he had arrived at the pinnacle of the sport. Â
