Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/1506668
18 Summer 2023 ITF World If it seems the Olympic and Paralympic Tennis Events have come around more quickly than usual, that's because they have, with Covid-19 causing the Tokyo 2020 Games to be delayed by one year to the summer of 2021. Three years on, and Paris 2024 will mark the first post-pandemic Games, with the return of fans to all stadiums and the unique buzz of a host city full to the brim with supporters, athletes and media from all over the world. The Olympic Tennis Event gets underway in the French capital on Saturday 27 July, the day after the Olympic Opening Ceremony, and runs until Sunday 4 August. The Paralympic Tennis Event starts on Friday 30 August and finishes on Saturday 7 September. The tennis and wheelchair tennis competitions will be played on the clay courts of Roland Garros, marking the second time a Grand Slam venue has hosted the Olympics in the modern era following Wimbledon for London 2012, and the first time a Grand Slam venue has hosted both Olympic and Paralympic tennis. Olympic and Paralympic tennis was last played on clay more than 30 years ago at Barcelona 1992, when Switzerland's Marc Rosset and USA's Jennifer Capriati won the Olympic singles gold medals. Netherlands' Monique Kalkman and USA's Randy Snow topped the Paralympic podium. This combination of familiar tennis venue and lesser-used Olympic tennis surface will be a potent lure for the players as they plot their routes to qualification. Germany's Alexander Zverev and Switzerland's Belinda Bencic will be bidding to successfully defend their Olympic singles titles, something only one player in history – Great Britain's Andy Murray – has achieved, thanks to his London 2012- Rio 2016 double. As before, there will be five Olympic medal events: men's and women's singles and doubles, and mixed doubles, with the same draw sizes as previously - see panel opposite. In a change to mixed doubles, nations can now only enter one team, giving more countries the chance to compete. At the Paralympics, there will be six events for wheelchair tennis athletes: men's, women's and quad singles and doubles. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games start in less than a year's time in the French capital. ITFWorld rounds up everything you need to know about the tennis competitions at both events. countdown the begins PARIS 2024