Picture Credit: Twitter/@ITFTennis
International Tennis Federation on Thursday announced the extension of Tokyo Olympics qualification window by a week i.e. till 14th June 2021. This move by ITF came after the official decision by the French Tennis Federation about the postponement of the prestigious French Open because of the pandemic. "The change of ranking date from June 7 to June 14 is to reflect the new dates of 2021 Roland Garros," the ITF said in a statement. The clay court Grand Slam would now take place one week later than originally scheduled, beginning from 24th May 2021 and finishing on 13th June 2021.
Direct Olympic qualification based on ATP ranking
Following this, the players would now earn direct qualifications for Tokyo Olympics based on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings as on 14th June 2021. "Following this date, the ITF will inform all National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and National Associations (NAs) of players eligible for direct acceptance into the men’s and women's singles events,” as mentioned in the statement issued by ITF.
Confirmation of eligible players by NOCs and NAs
The NOCs and NAs will then confirm the entry of eligible players and submit their nominations for all 4 events. Following this, ITF will release the full list of players by the end of June.
The Olympic tennis event will feature a total of 64 players in men's and women's singles besides 32 teams in men's and women's doubles, along with 16 teams in mixed doubles.
The Olympic Games will be taking place from July 23 to August 8.