Singles competition format
The event begins with a preliminary stage: the competitors are divided into groups and each player plays everyone else in their group.
The 16 group winners qualify for the knockout stage of the competition, which will eventually decide the winners of the medals.
Doubles competition format
The event begins with a preliminary stage: the competitors are divided into groups and each Doubles pair plays everyone else in their group.
The eight best pairs qualify for the knockout stage of the competition, which will eventually decide the winners of the medals.
Doubles competition format
The event begins with a preliminary stage: the competitors are divided into groups and each Doubles pair plays everyone else in their group.
The eight best pairs qualify for the knockout stage of the competition, which will eventually decide the winners of the medals.
Tennis
Number of medal events:
Five – men’s and women’s Singles, men’s and women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles.
Number of competitors:
172: 86 men and 86 women.
Each country is limited to a total of 12 athletes – six men and six women across all events, which includes a maximum of four athletes in each Singles and two teams in each Doubles event. From the competitors already entered into the Singles or Doubles, a maximum of two Mixed Doubles teams from any country may compete in the Mixed Doubles event
Field of play:
The Singles court is 23.77m long and 8.23m wide; the Doubles court is the same length and 10.97m wide. The court is divided in half by a net that is 0.914m at the centre.
History of Tennis at the Olympic Games
Tennis appeared at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 but was dropped from the programme after the Paris 1924 Games. It returned 64 years later, with Miloslav Mečíř (Czechoslovakia) and Steffi Graf (West Germany) winning gold in the two Singles tournaments at Seoul 1988.
The Tennis competition at London 2012 will be held on the grass courts of Wimbledon, which has its own Olympic history. The venue staged the Tennis competition when London first hosted the Olympic Games in 1908, with Great Britain winning all six gold medals.
The basics
Players hit a ball over the net into their opponents’ half. The object is to score points by playing the ball so that it cannot be returned over the net within the boundary lines.
Tennis has a unique scoring system. The first three points in a game are noted as 15, 30 and 40, with the next point winning the game. A score of 40–40 is called deuce, and from that score two further points must be won consecutively to win the game. A score of zero in a game is called love.
Matches consist of sets, which are decided by the first to six games and must be won by at least two clear games (eg: 6-3, 7-5). At six games all, in all but the final set, players contest a tie-break, which decides the winner of the set.
All matches are the best-of-three sets with the exception of the men’s Singles final, which is the best of five sets. The tie-break will operate in every set except the fifth set in the men’s Singles final and the third set in the other matches (except Mixed Doubles) when an advantage set shall be played. In the Mixed Doubles the third set shall be played as a match tie-break (10 points).
Competition format
The tournament is a knockout format, with the winners of the semi-finals in each event going head-to-head on Centre Court for the gold medals. There are 16 seeded players in each Singles event, eight seeded teams in the men’s and women’s Doubles, and four seeded teams in the Mixed Doubles. Seedings are determined by world rankings.
Officials
An umpire is in charge of the match, ensuring that the rules of the game are observed and calling out the score after each point. He/she is assisted by line umpires, who keep an eye on whether the ball lands in or out of the court.
Keys to success
Tennis is a fast and dynamic sport needing strength and quick reactions. Matches can last for hours, so players also need incredible stamina – mental and physical. Doubles players must be in perfect harmony and communicate well, working together as a team.
Jargon buster
Ace – a legal serve that the opposing player fails to touch with their racket.
Baseline – the far boundary line at either end of the court.
Lob – a ball hit high in the air, usually deep into the opponent’s court.
Love – no points; zero.
Tie-break – if the score in a set reaches 6-6 in anything other than the deciding set, there is a tie-break, won by the first player or Doubles team to reach seven points with a margin of at least two clear points. A 10-point match tie-break is also used to decide Mixed Doubles matches that reach one set all, with the first team to reach 10 points with a margin of at least two clear points winning the match.
Table Tennis
Number of medal events
Four – men’s and women’s Singles, men’s and women’s Team.
Number of competitors
172: 86 men and 86 women
Each country is limited to three men and three women across all events, and to two athletes in each Singles event.
Field of play
The court is 18m x 9m; the Table Tennis table itself is 2.74m long and 1.525m wide. It is 76cm above the floor and divided in half by a 15.25cm high net.
History of Table Tennis at the Olympic Games
Since Table Tennis joined the Olympic programme in 1988, China has won 20 of the 24 available gold medals. The only European Olympic gold medallist so far has been the legendary Swedish player Jan-Ove Waldner: nicknamed ‘the Mozart of Table Tennis’, Waldner won the men’s Singles at the Barcelona 1992 Games.
Find out more about Table Tennis at the Olympic Games on the International Olympic Committee website.
The basics
Table Tennis is based on the same basic principles as Tennis, but it has a very different scoring system, and a ball weighing just 2.7g.
Singles matches are played over the best of seven games, with the first player to 11 points (by a margin of two clear points) winning each game.
Team matches consist of four singles matches and one doubles match, each played over the best of five games. Each team consists of three players and matches end when a team has won three individual games.
In Doubles matches, players take turns to hit the ball, with one hit each before alternating.
Unlike in Tennis where a player serves for a whole game, in Table Tennis the service changes after every two points have been scored. Once the score gets to 10–10, the serve changes after every point. In Doubles games, as well as the serve alternating between teams, it alternates between players too.
Competition format
Both the Singles and Team events are run in a knockout format. Players and teams progress through the draw until the finals. The winners of the semi-finals play in the gold medal match and the losers of the semi-finals compete for the bronze medal.
Players’ seedings dictate the round in which they enter the competition. In Singles, the 16 highest-ranked players qualify for the third round, players ranked from 17 to 32 qualify for the second round, and all other players qualify for the preliminary or first round. In Doubles, a special team rankings list is used to established the seedings.
Officials
An umpire and assistant umpire sit or stand on either side of the table, in line with the net. They are responsible for ensuring the game is played within the rules and that the score is kept and announced accurately.
Keys to success
Table tennis is played at high speed and players need lightning reactions, incredible agility and high levels of fitness.
Breaking the rules
As well as matching the speed of play of their opponent, players need to ensure they stay within the rules of the game. A point can be awarded to the opposition for an infringement such as touching the table or net, an illegal serve, or a Doubles player striking the ball out of sequence.
Jargon buster
Blade – the flat, rigid part of the racket used for striking the ball.
Loop – an attacking shot, often played with plenty of topspin.
Penhold – a type of grip where the racket is held as if it were a pen.
Let – as well as service lets (similar to Tennis), a let may be called if play is interrupted – for example, by a ball from another table entering the playing area. If this happens, the rally is replayed.
Time-out – each player may claim a time-out of up to one minute during an individual match.
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