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was a commitment of, perhaps appropriately, Mount Olympus proportions. It had never been done before, never been realistically considered before, there was no blueprint and nobody really knew if it was possible. The scale and ambition of what Tokyo 2020 committed to with that announcement is impossible to convey meaningfully. I've spent 15 years working on Olympic and Paralympic Games and I have no idea how they've got to within touching distance of delivering these Games. I could list off the challenges, but the Games would be over before I'd finished and I'd not get close to doing it justice. The plain facts are Tokyo set out to unpack seven years of planning and piece it all back together in a single year, all at a time when the world was almost completely shut down and all within the added new framework of Covid-safety measures. There have been myriad personal frustrations this past year, and if the summit of Mount Olympus has been the goal, then at times it's felt quite Sisyphean in our efforts to get there. But here we are, a matter of days away from boarding the plane and the usual tingle of excitement and nerves (there's some fear in there too but we're playing it cool) is building once again. At this stage, it would be remiss not to acknowledge that alongside that tingle of excitement is a layer of doubt. The concerns of the Japanese public have been widely reported, and it's sometimes hard to reconcile our roles and participation against that backdrop. I hope, and must believe, that come September the domestic audience, and the world at large, will have enjoyed and embraced two sporting miracles safely delivered. The biggest logistical sporting challenge ever? Ipsedixitism? Maybe just this once, the dictionary can stay closed. n ITF World Summer 2021 21 Above Ariake Tennis Park will host the Olympic and Paralympic tennis events

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