Winning an Olympic gold medal may not be the pinnacle of tennis like it is in track and field or swimming… but it is still a very prestigious achievement. Plus, the fact that the tennis tournament is held at Roland Garros only gives it more prestige and memorability than winning a medal at most other Olympic Games.

Below are some of the milestones that Olympic tennis at Roland Garros promises to make a historic event:

Olympic Slam on Clay
This is a new term, coined for Olympic tennis events, which conveys the uniqueness of winning an Olympic gold medal at one of the four biggest tournaments in tennis history. The uniqueness lies in the fact that it will be the first time that the world’s largest clay court complex will host an Olympic tennis tournament.

Paris has already hosted the Olympic Games in 1900 and 1924, but both editions were held before the Roland Garros stadium was built in 1928 (named after a notable French pilot). This will therefore be the first time that the Philippe Chatrier, Suzanne Lenglen and other Roland Garros venues will host the Olympic tennis tournament. In fact, there has only been one full “Olympic Slam” before: at Wimbledon 2012 (UK), as tennis at the London 2008 Olympic Games was held at both Wimbledon and Queen’s Club.

French tennis fans hope that Paris 2024 will have a similar stimulating impact on local players, as London 2012 had with Andy Murray. Just weeks after losing the 2012 Wimbledon final to Roger Federer, Murray returned to this very same stage to defeat the Swiss icon in three sets (unlike Paris 2024, the 2012 Wimbledon men’s final had gone to five sets). And just weeks later, Murray won the US Open, becoming the first British Grand Slam champion in 76 years.

Of course, it will be difficult for the French players to follow in Murray’s footsteps, as none of them are ranked or valued as highly as he was in 2012. But still, Murray’s achievement in 2012 is a perfect proof of the significance of the Olympic Slam in motivating the hosts.

Twilight of the myths

In the last match, despite his best efforts, Rafael Nadal lost 1-6, 4-6 to Novak Djokovic, a player who has also not won a title so far this season. This defeat practically marks the end of Nadal’s career at the Olympic Games (in fact, he still competes in the men’s doubles category alongside his young partner Carlos Alcaraz). Age and injuries have brought Nadal to the other side of the slope. The match between Nadal and Djokovic was the first time in history that two members of the “Big Three” faced each other in an Olympic singles. The winner, Novak Djokovic, will undoubtedly continue to nurture hopes of completing the last major title that he still lacks, but given what has happened since the beginning of the year, it is safe to assume that he will soon be “retiring” following in Nadal’s footsteps.

Of course, one cannot fail to mention Murray, who has confirmed that this will be his last tournament as a professional tennis player, and will even only compete in doubles, alongside Dan Evans, as he is not strong enough to play singles. This is especially true in a competition format as demanding and stressful as Olympic tennis, where the best players compete almost daily, even if only to a maximum of three sets, for more than a week.

Is Alcaraz consolidating his position as the new king?

After becoming the youngest male player to win a Grand Slam on all three main surfaces (grass, clay and hard court), Carlos Alcaraz could be at another turning point in Paris. If he wins the singles gold medal, the young Spanish talent would be replicating the achievement of his compatriot Nadal in 2008, when he won Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Olympics in the same summer. And in the process, he would cement his position as the new king of world men’s tennis.

Jannik Sinner’s last-minute withdrawal from the Olympics due to tonsillitis will certainly boost Alcaraz’s chances of winning the singles gold medal. While his main rival, Djokovic, is on the other side of the draw. However, there are some complicating factors that cast doubt on whether he will be able to repeat his Paris feat in a matter of months.

First, he will take part in the men’s doubles event alongside his mentor Nadal. “Nadalcaraz” could be a dream pairing, as they have been nicknamed. However, the fact that Alcaraz is making his debut at such a major event (with little doubles experience during his young career) means that it is difficult to know how he will fare competing in singles and doubles. Furthermore, Olympic tennis matches, even in singles, are played in best-of-3 sets, not best-of-5 as in Grand Slams. This means that Alcaraz’s tendency to start matches slowly (even to lose the first set) could be punished more quickly than in a best-of-5 match.

Still, despite those challenges, Alcaraz remains the leading candidate to win the singles gold medal at these Olympics.