Which Tennis Teams To Lookout For At The Tokyo Olympics
With the Olympic Games in Tokyo soon to start, people are starting to pay attention to which teams that are competing are likely to do well and which players are the ones to look out for. After the 2020 games were cancelled, there are many hopes pinned on various sporting events in this year’s Olympics and tennis is no exception.
Japan
With Naomi Osaka on their side, Japan is a team that people will definitely want to keep an eye on. Osaka is considered a favourite for a gold medal by many – quite an accolade, as the Tokyo Olympics is her debut. Osaka is well known for many reasons, although four Grand Slam Single wins certainly helps. She’s well-loved and respected for using her platform to raise awareness of issues she’s passionate about.
Serbia
Djokovic has a number of men’s tennis records under his belt and as such, he’s given Serbia a massive boost in the Tokyo Olympics ratings. His performance at Wimbledon this year was truly incredible. Former British men’s singles no.1 Andrew Castle rates the Serbian very highly. He said to sports betting site Betway: “I think I’ve seen the best tennis come from Novak’s racquet. He came to the party slightly after the [Federer & Nadal], but I think he might have been the most remarkable.” He’s clocked up some impressive stats including nine Australian Open Titles. That said, despite having 19 Grand Slam Titles and a bronze Olympic medal to his name he has yet to win gold – something that he will no doubt be keen to do this year.
Poland
Another name to look out for is Iga Swiatek who had an impressive tennis year in 2020. She’s the youngest player since 1992 to win the French Open and clearly has sports competition in her blood, as one of her parents is an Olympic rower. She’s won a doubles gold at the Youth Olympics in 2018 and will no doubt be going all out to win a gold medal this year.
Switzerland
2020 was a tough year for Roger Federer but that hasn’t stopped him from stepping up to the plate for Switzerland in this year’s Tokyo Olympics. He’s won medals in both the Beijing and the London Olympics, but seeing as he turns 40 during the Tokyo games he will no doubt be wanting to go home with another gold medal this year.
Tunisia
You might not think it but Tunisia are a team to watch this year – as Ons Jabeur has become the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final. She now ranks within the top 30 players in the world and as such, is a player to watch at this year’s games.
There will be people wondering whether the Olympics this year will attract any celebrities in the audience. After all, people like Andrew Caste found it a joy to cover Wimbledon this year, largely thanks to the number of tennis legends in the realm. Wimbledon this year even saw Andy Murray make a return to the game he loves so much. Although he didn’t win, it was a real joy watching him return and for many people a real highlight of the whole 2021 tournament. As for what the Tokyo Olympics tennis tournament will bring, no one can really say but they are definitely the teams to watch out for.