The Olympics are just around the corner, with the men's and women's championships set to be hotly contested by some of the sports finest players.
In the men's, Alexander Zverev is looking to defend his crown after winning Gold in 2020, but he will face stiff competition.
Australia's Alex de Minaur is having one of his best years to date, reaching the French Open quarter-finals and winning the Mexican Open, helping him rise to a career high seventh in the ATP Rankings.
But will he feature at the Olympics for his country? The Sporting News investigates.
MORE: When is Alex de Minaur's next match? | Who is Alex de Minaur's coach?
Will Alex de Minaur play at the Olympics?
Alex de Minaur's participation was been thrown into serious doubt after being forced to withdraw from the Wimbledon quarter-finals due to injury.
He injured his hip and had a small tear at the end of his adductor in the match point of his fourth round win at Wimbledon, telling reporters he 'heard a small crack' when the injury occurred.
However, a recent report from The Sydney Morning Herald stated de Minaur has potentially made a quicker than expected recovery from his injury and may still get to represent Australia on the Olympic stage.
There was never a firm timeline for his return from injury, but he did not require surgery, which quickened the recovery process.
De Minaur was quoted as saying: "It’s an injury that is all based on pain – on my pain. I’ve got to do exercises that don’t irritate the area more, and it allows it to heal. That’s why it’s kind of all up to myself and my body, how quickly it heals.
"In the past, similar injuries that I’ve had with osteitis pubis, I’ve come back sooner than expected, so I’m hoping that’s the case for this one as well."
Speaking in April, he said, "Going to the Olympics, I think that’s one of the dreams as a young kid... [It’s] one of those milestone moments, check the box, that type of moment. I’d love to be there. It will be very special to be there, for sure.
"I would love to see a lot of the track athletes, the swimmers, basketball… [there are] so many different sports where I’d love to meet a lot of fellow countrymen and athletes which I haven’t had the chance to."
As the top ranked Australian and having participated regularly in the Davis Cup, de Minaur is automatically eligible to qualify for the singles tournament, with each country able to nominate four players in both the men's and women's singles tournaments.
Has Alex de Minaur appeared at the Olympics?
If Alex de Minaur appears at the Paris games, it would be his first ever Olympic appearance.
He was set to appear in the Tokyo games, but received a crushing blow on the eve of the Olympics, as a positive COVID-19 test forced him to pull out of the tournament.
Alex de Minaur 2024 season
Alex de Minaur's 2024 started with a fourth round exit in his home Australian Open, which came after defeating Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the United Cup.
He reached the final of the ABN AMRO Open — losing to Jannick Sinner — but had better luck in the Mexican Open, defeating Casper Ruud in straight sets for his second win in a row.
He also performed well at the French Open, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round, before being defeated by Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals; he also reached the same stage at Wimbledon.
This did help him crack the top 10 of the ATP Rankings, and he then won the Libema Open, meaning he rose to a career high seventh.
Which Australian tennis players are going to Paris Olympics?
Nine players have been selected to represent Australia at the Paris Olympics.
De Minaur is the biggest star in the team, currently ranked as the men's world No. 7.
Doubles specialist Matthew Ebden will also feature.
- Alex de Minaur (Men's singles, doubles)
- Matthew Ebden (Doubles)
- John Peers (Doubles)
- Ellen Perez (Doubles)
- Alexei Popyrin (Doubles)
- Daria Saville (Doubles)
- Rinky Hijikata (Men's singles)
- Chris O'Connell (Men's singles)
- Ajla Tomljanovic (Women's singles)
