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{blackbabes} Rio 2016: Insider's guide - Tennis

 

Venue: Olympic Tennis Centre

Medals available: 15

Dates: Men's Singles - August 6-14, Women's Singles - August 6-13, Men's Doubles - Aug 6-12, Women's Doubles - Aug 6-14, Mixed Doubles - Aug 10-14

Dominant nations: Thanks to the Williams sisters and Bryan brothers, the United States won three of the five gold medals on offer in London, taking the nation's tally to 20 in tennis at the Games

Star names: Serena Williams (USA), Novak Djokovic (Serbia)

Serena Williams may well be the queen of Olympic tennis but a gold medal has proven elusive for Novak Djokovic.

Like Venus, Serena is a record four-time tennis gold medalist, her singles win at London 2012 adding to the doubles crowns won with her sister at the All England Club, Sydney and Beijing.

As with so much of her career, winning at the Games has appeared easy for 22-time grand slam champion Serena, yet Djokovic - the similarly dominant world number one in the men's game - is still waiting to be an Olympic champion.

At Beijing 2008 and London 2012, respective singles winners Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray ended the Serbian's run in the semi-finals.

While grand slams remain the pinnacle of the sport, Olympic tennis is serious competition despite no ranking points being on offer.

Just ask Roger Federer - whose only gold came in doubles (2008) - and Juan Martin del Potro, after they played out an epic semi-final lasting four hours and 26 minutes in London, with the Swiss great winning 19-17 in the third set.

Injury has denied Federer the chance to compete this time around, but Nadal is hopeful of being fully fit for the Games following a wrist injury and recently crowned Wimbledon champion Murray shapes as the chief threat to Djokovic.

Albeit not the unstoppable force they once were, Bryan brothers Mike and Bob will be favoured in the men's doubles, while Serena and Venus are set to combine in the women's.

The mixed doubles was played for the first time since 1924 in London, where Belarusian pair Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi combined for gold.

The world's top 56 in the men's and women's singles rankings on June 6 qualified for the Olympics, but no more than four players can represent each country.

South America is known for hosting events on clay, but organisers in Rio have instead opted for hard courts to suit players' preparations for the US Open.

The similarity to the Flushing Meadows courts is likely to favour Serena, Djokovic and Murray in their quests for gold.

For Serena, it is a chance to add another prize to her trophy cabinet, while Djokovic searches for one that has so far proven too tough.

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