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By Robert Read
Life & Trends Reporter
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Clay tennis courts, after more than 30 years, are back on the Olympic stage.
Roland Garros and its famed clay courts will serve as the sport's host venue at the 2024 Paris Olympics, marking the first time tennis at the Games has been played on this particular playing surface since 1992. Almost all Olympic tennis in the years since has been set on hard courts.
Consider that just another layer of intrigue in what is set up to be a week-and-a-half full of it for tennis fanatics. The Olympics, for those needing a refresher, will consist of five single-elimination (like a Slam) medal tournaments, including women's singles, women's doubles, men's singles, men's doubles and mixed doubles. Latest international rankings determine seeding.
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Both singles events will feature 64 competitors—needing six straight wins for gold—while 32 doubles men's and women's teams will face off for a podium spot.
All matches in Paris will be best-of-three sets.
Here's a look at the other Olympic essentials to know for women's tennis specifically.
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How to Watch Olympic Women's Tennis
Tennis at the Paris Olympics will begin on Saturday, July 27 (just one day after the opening ceremony) and run through Sunday, August 4. Philippe-Chatrier Court, the main court at Roland Garros, will host the finals for each event, plus other matches throughout the Games.
Start times for rounds of competition—which is subject to change until the end of the Games, according to NBC—currently look like this on the women's side:
Saturday, July 27
- Women's singles first round — 6 a.m. ET
- Women's doubles first round — 6 a.m. ET
- Women's singles first round — 1 p.m. ET
Sunday, July 28
- Women's singles first round — 6 a.m. ET
- Women's doubles first round — 6 a.m. ET
- Women's singles first round — 1 p.m. ET
Monday, July 29
- Women's singles second round — 6 a.m. ET
- Women's doubles second round — 6 a.m. ET
- Women's singles second round — 1 p.m. ET
Tuesday, July 30
- Women's singles third round — 6 a.m. ET
- Women's doubles second round — 6 a.m. ET
- Women's singles third round — 1 p.m. ET
Wednesday, July 31
- Women's singles quarterfinals — 7:24 a.m., 7:40 a.m., 9:20 a.m., and 3 p.m. ET
- Women's doubles quarterfinals — 9:30 a.m. ET and 10:12 a.m. ET
Thursday, August 1
- Women's doubles semifinals — 6 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. ET
- Women's singles semifinals — 9:20 a.m. and 3 p.m. ET
Friday, August 2
- Women's singles bronze medal match — 9 a.m. ET
Saturday, August 3
- Women's singles gold medal match — 8:30 a.m. ET
Sunday, August 4
- Women's doubles bronze medal match — 6 a.m. ET
- Women's doubles gold medal match — 11 a.m. ET
Where to Watch Women's Tennis
There are a variety of ways for Olympic viewers to catch women's tennis action this summer.
Live and tape-delayed tennis coverage from Paris will air on CNBC, USA Network and E! beginning on July 27. For those hoping to stream festivities, that option will be available through Peacock, as well as NBC.com and the NBC and NBC Olympics mobile apps.
Viewers with a Peacock subscription can either download the app or go to PeacockTV.com/Olympics in a web browser to watch any Olympic event.
Users, NBC said, can also authenticate with their cable subscription. This would allow them to watch live streams on their web browser, phone, tablet or connected TV via various NBC Olympic platforms. And NBCOlympics.com, set to offer court-specific streams, will be home to the replay hub and could come in handy for any fans who missed out on some matches.
Women's Tennis Olympic Names to Know
There will be a new singles gold medalist for women's tennis this year.
Belinda Bencic of Switzerland surged to the top of the podium to win the singles tournament as the No. 9 seed last time around at the 2020 Games, but is currently inactive, according to USA Today.
The favorite for the top honor this time is Iga Świątek (Poland), the No. 1 women's player in the world who excels on clay and has won three straight French Opens. Among the other elite players vying for a medal is Coco Gauff (U.S.), the second-ranked player worldwide making her Olympic debut—as a prominent contender no less—at just 20 years old (she was forced to drop out of the Tokyo Games because of COVID-19).
Another name to keep in mind is Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan). ESPN reports that, over Świątek's last 33 matches on clay, she is is 0-2 against Rybakina and 31-0 against everyone else. And then there's Barbora Krejčíková (Czechia), winner of the most recent Slam and a gold in doubles last Olympics (Krejčíková and partner Kateřina Siniaková are seeking another doubles win in Paris).
Krejčíková is the last woman not named Świątek to win the French Open, so she has that going for her.
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