Australia and Olympic Tennis

Tennis has provided Australia with one Olympic gold, one silver and four bronze medals. The gold and silver medals were won by The Woodies (Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge) in the men’s doubles at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 respectively. Edwin Flack with his English partner, George Robertson, clinched doubles bronze in 1896. Elizabeth Smylie and Wendy Turnbull won the bronze medal in the women’s doubles at Seoul 1988 and Rachel McQuillan with Nicole Provis did likewise at Barcelona 1992. At Athens 2004, Alicia Molik won Australia’s first individual tennis medal, a bronze in the women’s singles.

In 2008 Australia is looking in shape to continue our winning Olympic form. Younger players, such as Queensland’s Samantha Stosur, have climbed the world rankings since the last Games and are earning valuable Beijing Olympic qualifying points. In 2006 Stosur won the prestigious 2006 world championships doubles crown.

Olympic History

Tennis appeared on the Olympic program in Athens in 1896 and remained until Paris 1924. Due to difficulties in solving the amateur-professional divide, the sport disappeared until Seoul 1988. Its return to the Olympic fold was heralded when it appeared as a demonstration sport four years earlier in Los Angeles.

Gold Medal Winners from the Past Three Olympic Games

Men - Singles
Atlanta 1996 - Andre AGASSI (USA)
Sydney 2000 - Yevgeny KAFELNIKOV (RUS)
Athens 2004 - Nicolas MASSU (CHI)

Men - Doubles
Atlanta 1996 - WOODBRIDGE / WOODFORDE (AUS)
Sydney 2000 - LAREAU / NESTOR (CAN)
Athens 2004 - MASSU / GONZALEZ (CHI)

Women - Singles
Atlanta 1996 - Lindsay DAVENPORT (USA)
Sydney 2000 - Venus WILLIAMS (USA)
Athens 2004 - Justine HENIN-HARDENNE (BEL)

Women - Doubles
Atlanta 1996 - FERNANDEZ / FERNANDEZ (USA)
Sydney 2000 - WILLIAMS / WILLIAMS (USA)
Athens 2004 - LI Ting / SUN Tian Tian (CHN)