Tennis is now a part of the Olympics Games program as a full medal sport since 1988 and has been played in every Olympic Games since then.
After being a part of the Summer Olympic Games in the inaugural 1896 game, the tournament was scrapped due to disagreement between the International Lawn Tennis Federation and the International Olympic Committee due to the federation allowing the amateur players to compete.
In Olympic Games, the lawn for the Tennis tournament keeps on changing. In 1984 the tournament was played hard court for every game. In 1992, however, the Olympics and in the 2012 Olympics the court was kept of grass. Some players are good at playing clay courts and others prefer hard courts and therefore it keeps on changing.
In 2012, a tennis tournament in Olympics was held in London at the All England Club in Wimbledon from 28 July to August 5th. This was the first Olympics tournament that was played on the grass court after the re-inclusion of tennis in the Olympics.
International Olympics Committee and the International Tennis Federation organized as well as supervised the tournament under the Association of Tennis professional tours.
All matches of the tournament were played as best of three sets and the finale was played as best of fives sets. To declare the winner tie-breaks were used in all three sets, except during the finale of five sets.
Records
Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro had a clash against each other in August 2012 in the semi-finals on August 3, 2010, and played to break the tie for a record of 4 hours 26 minutes, scoring 19-17.
Apart from being the longest singles tennis match in the history of the Olympics, it also set the record for being the longest single match in the Open era, outpacing the Nadal versus Novak Djokovic in the 2009 Madrid Masters that lasted for 4 hours 3 minutes.
William sisters created a record in the tournament by winning the third gold medal in doubles and becoming the first players in male or female in tennis history to win four golds, doubles, or singles by achieving the top spot in 2000, 2008, and 2012 along with Venus clinching away 2000 women’s singles and Serena winning 2012 medal in singles.
Winners (Men)
Britain superstar Andy Murray won the gold by defeating Roger Federer in three sets of 6–2, 6–1, 6–4. Argentine Tennis sensation Del Potro clinched the Bronze medal defeating Djokovic by 7-5, 6-4.
Winners (Women’s singles)
Women singles were held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon from 28 July to 4 August 2012. It would be unfair to mention the biggest upset of the tournament that was created by Chinese Tennis player Li Na who defeated Wimbledon finalist and Polish International Tennis sensation Agnieszka Radwańska in three close but straight sets.
Serena Williams, American professional tennis player, and Russian tennis heartthrob Maria Sharapova played into the finals for their Career Golden Slam. Williams won the medal and became only the second woman to win the Career Golden Slam after Steffi Graf.
Not only this, but William also got the honor of becoming the first tennis player, male or female, to hold a career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles. Sharapova was the silver medallist and Belarus Tennis player Victoria Azarenka won the Bronze medal.
Men Doubles
American star brothers Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan took home the Gold medal in the tournament, winning over France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Michaël Llodra. Bryan brothers have achieved the Golden Slam, only the second men’s double team to achieve the feat.
Women Doubles
Serena Williams and Venus Williams once again defended their titles in the tournament by defeating Czech Republic’s Andrea Hlaváčková and Lucie Hradecká.
