2012 Olympic Tennis Event To Award Ranking Points to Women
As if tennis players needed any more incentive to compete in the 2012 Olympic Tennis Event which will be held on the grass lawns at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (aka Wimbledon) next summer, the ITF announced that it had reached an
agreement with the WTA to award ranking points to the women competing in the Olympic Tennis Event. This will actually be the third straight Olympic Tennis Event in which the women earn ranking points.
The structure for the event draw allows countries to have up to four entries in the singles and two in the doubles tournament. In total, one country can have six players competing in the women’s Olympic Tennis Event, which is an increase from the four players allowed at the Beijing Olympics where Elena Dementieva captured the Gold Medal in singles. The WTA singles rankings will be used to determine the fifty-six direct entrants into the singles draw for the women’s Olympic Tennis Event, as well as other eligibility requirements, e.g. competing in Federation Cup. The ITF’s Olympic Committee will select six additional entries by considering the rankings and geographical diversity of the countries represented. The final two slots in the singles draw will be Tripartite Commission Invitations determined by the IOC, ITF and National Olympic Committees. For doubles entries, the WTA rankings will also be used to decide the twenty-four direct entries/teams in the thirty-two team draw. At the same time, doubles players who are ranked in the Top 10 will be given direct entry into the event assuming that they have an eligible partner.
The bottom line… the Olympic Tennis Event at the 2012 London Olympics should be one of the highlights of the Olympic Games. Can’t wait for the Games to begin!
The structure for the event draw allows countries to have up to four entries in the singles and two in the doubles tournament. In total, one country can have six players competing in the women’s Olympic Tennis Event, which is an increase from the four players allowed at the Beijing Olympics where Elena Dementieva captured the Gold Medal in singles. The WTA singles rankings will be used to determine the fifty-six direct entrants into the singles draw for the women’s Olympic Tennis Event, as well as other eligibility requirements, e.g. competing in Federation Cup. The ITF’s Olympic Committee will select six additional entries by considering the rankings and geographical diversity of the countries represented. The final two slots in the singles draw will be Tripartite Commission Invitations determined by the IOC, ITF and National Olympic Committees. For doubles entries, the WTA rankings will also be used to decide the twenty-four direct entries/teams in the thirty-two team draw. At the same time, doubles players who are ranked in the Top 10 will be given direct entry into the event assuming that they have an eligible partner.
The bottom line… the Olympic Tennis Event at the 2012 London Olympics should be one of the highlights of the Olympic Games. Can’t wait for the Games to begin!
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