The Olympic Games will take place in Paris this year and various prestigious tennis events will be included within the schedule.
Earning a medal at the games is generally seen to be a lesser achievement than recording a top finish at a major tennis championship. However, the Olympics do offer the unique lore of prizes that can only be won each four years.
The events at the Olympics are not always bolstered with the full array of world-leading talent – with some players pulling out to prioritise the US Open later in the year – but this year the women’s tennis events are set to be immensely competitive.
Several high-ranked WTA stars with prior Olympic experience will be bidding to secure their first-ever medal in Paris and here we will look at some of their chances.
Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina will be one of the favourites to secure a medal in the women’s singles this year but she has other duties to attend to prior. In Women’s Wimbledon odds, for the pre-Olympics event, she is 8/11 to win her second major title and prepare for Paris perfectly.
She is positioned strongly in tennis betting for the Olympics at 10/1 to win gold and her chances will surely be boosted if she can win Wimbledon for the first time and go to France with momentum behind her.
The Kazakstani player will face some strong competition but considering her prior experience and consistency as a world-ranked number four, it would be a major surprise if she does not earn a place on the podium in the women’s singles.
Elena Rybakina has won 18 of her 20 matches at #Wimbledon
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 8, 2024
She joins Ann Jones and Steffi Graf as the only players in the Open Era to have a 90% win rate in ladies' singles at The Championships ? pic.twitter.com/AvogKsAlR9
Rybakina finished fourth at Tokyo 2020 and ever since, she has improved her stature in the sport year-by-year. Many of her top-ranked counterparts will be Olympic debutants in Paris and that could give her the edge to handle the pressure and ensure she comes home with a medal.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion has the opportunity to make significant history for her nation as well as herself this summer. No Kazakstani tennis star has ever won a medal at the games and everything is lined up for her to be the first.
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka took a break from the sport in 2023 and has not impressed in the major championships this year so far but representing Japan at the Olympics could incite a true rebirth of her career.
Osaka made her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 where she finished ninth and a special ranking from the International Tennis Federation ahead of Paris 2024 means she will have the chance to improve on that.
The Japanese star has been remarkably successful in the past having won twice in both the US and Australian Open. Winning a fifth major event in the Olympics will certainly be a long shot as she is offered at 16/1 to achieve gold, although her vast experience of succeeding at the highest stage could help her to achieve a place on the podium at least.
???? what a rollercoaster today was. pic.twitter.com/xNkoyIDt2G
— NaomiOsaka?????(@naomiosaka) May 26, 2024
Ultimately, most of the high-ranked stars competing in the women’s Olympic tennis events this year will be debutants, while Rybakina and Osaka are leading examples of experienced Olympians who could be best equipped to overcome huge pressure and secure medals this year.
