The main qualifying criterion will be players' positions on the
ATP and
WTA ranking lists published on 14 June 2021 (after
2021 French Open). The players entering were formally submitted by the
International Tennis Federation. The ATP and WTA rankings were based on performances from the previous 52 weeks, and there were several tournaments in the two-month period between the time of the rankings being frozen for entry and the beginning of the tennis events at the Olympics. Players had to be part of a nominated team for three
Billie Jean King Cup (women) or
Davis Cup (men) events between the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. This requirement was reduced to two Fed/Davis Cup events during the Olympic cycle from 2016 to 2020 if their nation competed at the Zone Group round robin level for three of the four years or if the player had represented their nation at least twenty times. All players were required to have been part of a nominated team for a Fed/Davis Cup event in 2019 or 2020, and to have had a good standing with their
National Olympic Committee.[3][4]
Each
National Olympic Committee (NOC) could enter 6 male and 6 female athletes, with a maximum of 4 entries in the individual events, and 2 pairs in the doubles events. A total of 172 athletes will qualify to compete.
For the singles competitions, the top 56 players in the world rankings on a later date to be announced of the WTA and ATP tours are qualified for the Olympics. However, entry has been limited to four players from a country. This means that players who are ranked in the top 56 but represent the NOCs with four higher-ranked players already participating do not qualify, allowing players who are ranked outside of the top 56 but from countries with fewer than four players already qualified to compete. A player could only participate if they been part of a final nominated team to represent their country in
Davis Cup or
Billie Jean King Cup (formerly known as Fed Cup) ties on three occasions during the olympic cycle, with one of the years featuring a nomination being either 2019 or 2020–21. The required nominations was reduced to two if the player represented a nation spending at least three of the four seasons in the Olympic cycle on the zonal level of the relevant Cup or had been nominated for at least 20 ties during their career. Six of the remaining eight slots will be allocated by continent: two in the
2019 Pan American Games, one in the
2018 Asian Games, one in the
2019 African Games, and one each for Europe and Oceania for the highest-ranked athlete from an NOC with no other qualifiers. The final two spots are reserved, one for the host nation and one for a previous Olympic gold medalist or Grand Slam champion who didn't secure a direct entry.[3]
In the men's and women's doubles competitions, 32 teams qualify. Up to 10 places are reserved for players in the top 10 of the doubles ranking, who could select any player from their NOC ranked in the top 300. Slots were then allocated to teams with the best combined ranking until 24 teams had been qualified. If the quota of 86 players in the relevant gender had not yet been met, additional places continued to be allotted via combined ranking. Once the quota was met, remaining teams with both players qualified in the singles were selected based on their best combined ranking. If this resulted in fewer than 32 teams, additional places were assigned to teams with one player qualified in singles, followed by remaining teams without any singles-qualified players if necessary. One team per gender was reserved for the host nation.[3]
No quota spots are available for mixed doubles; instead, all teams have to consist of players already on site having qualified in the singles or doubles. Fifteen teams, based on combined ranking, and the host nation qualified.[3]
Qualified players
a
Player did not participate as a result of injury, chose not to compete or was not selected by their governing body
b
Player has not met the minimum Fed Cup / Davis Cup representation level
c
Player is ineligible due quota limitations on athletes form a single country
d
Player has retired from the sport
e
Player received special dispensation for the Davis Cup / Fed Cup requirements from the ITF
Men's singles
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(July 2021)
^
abcdeThe player received one of the reallocated unused quotas.
^
abQuota was reallocated to direct entry through rankings as the player hadn’t met the minimum ranking requirement (within top 300) for qualification.
^
abcThe following entries were added to the entry list as late replacements instead of original entrants who had withdrawn.[32]
^Quota was passed from 2019 Pan American Games silver medalist
Caroline Dolehide to the next highest placed competitor at the Pan American Games as four athletes from the United States had already qualified.
^2011 US Open Singles champion. Quota was passed from four-time Olympic gold medalist and multiple Grand Slam Champion
Venus Williams as four athletes from the United States had already qualified. Defending women's singles champion
Monica Puig would have been entered into the draw, but withdrew due to ongoing shoulder injury.
^"OH: Klein v Tokiu aj v dvojhre!" [Olympic Games:Klein in Tokyo also in singles!]. www.stz.sk (in Slovak). 19 July 2021.
Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^Janičić, Svetozar (8 July 2021).
"Danka Kovinić ne ide u Tokio" [Danka Kovinić is not going to Tokyo]. Sportklub (in Serbian).
Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
^"DTF og Clara Tauson må sige nej til OL pga. skade" [DTF and Clara Tauson have to say no to the Olympics due to injury] (in Danish). Danish Tennis Federation. 13 July 2021.
Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
^Zhan, Jianjian (28 June 2021).
"東奧》職網詹家姐妹二度合體進軍奧運 「疫情阻擋不了朝夢想前進的步伐」" [Eastern Olympics: Chan sisters from the professional network joined the Olympics for the second time. "The epidemic can't stop the progress toward the dream."]. Yahoo Taiwan (in Chinese).
Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
The main qualifying criterion will be players' positions on the
ATP and
WTA ranking lists published on 14 June 2021 (after
2021 French Open). The players entering were formally submitted by the
International Tennis Federation. The ATP and WTA rankings were based on performances from the previous 52 weeks, and there were several tournaments in the two-month period between the time of the rankings being frozen for entry and the beginning of the tennis events at the Olympics. Players had to be part of a nominated team for three
Billie Jean King Cup (women) or
Davis Cup (men) events between the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. This requirement was reduced to two Fed/Davis Cup events during the Olympic cycle from 2016 to 2020 if their nation competed at the Zone Group round robin level for three of the four years or if the player had represented their nation at least twenty times. All players were required to have been part of a nominated team for a Fed/Davis Cup event in 2019 or 2020, and to have had a good standing with their
National Olympic Committee.[3][4]
Each
National Olympic Committee (NOC) could enter 6 male and 6 female athletes, with a maximum of 4 entries in the individual events, and 2 pairs in the doubles events. A total of 172 athletes will qualify to compete.
For the singles competitions, the top 56 players in the world rankings on a later date to be announced of the WTA and ATP tours are qualified for the Olympics. However, entry has been limited to four players from a country. This means that players who are ranked in the top 56 but represent the NOCs with four higher-ranked players already participating do not qualify, allowing players who are ranked outside of the top 56 but from countries with fewer than four players already qualified to compete. A player could only participate if they been part of a final nominated team to represent their country in
Davis Cup or
Billie Jean King Cup (formerly known as Fed Cup) ties on three occasions during the olympic cycle, with one of the years featuring a nomination being either 2019 or 2020–21. The required nominations was reduced to two if the player represented a nation spending at least three of the four seasons in the Olympic cycle on the zonal level of the relevant Cup or had been nominated for at least 20 ties during their career. Six of the remaining eight slots will be allocated by continent: two in the
2019 Pan American Games, one in the
2018 Asian Games, one in the
2019 African Games, and one each for Europe and Oceania for the highest-ranked athlete from an NOC with no other qualifiers. The final two spots are reserved, one for the host nation and one for a previous Olympic gold medalist or Grand Slam champion who didn't secure a direct entry.[3]
In the men's and women's doubles competitions, 32 teams qualify. Up to 10 places are reserved for players in the top 10 of the doubles ranking, who could select any player from their NOC ranked in the top 300. Slots were then allocated to teams with the best combined ranking until 24 teams had been qualified. If the quota of 86 players in the relevant gender had not yet been met, additional places continued to be allotted via combined ranking. Once the quota was met, remaining teams with both players qualified in the singles were selected based on their best combined ranking. If this resulted in fewer than 32 teams, additional places were assigned to teams with one player qualified in singles, followed by remaining teams without any singles-qualified players if necessary. One team per gender was reserved for the host nation.[3]
No quota spots are available for mixed doubles; instead, all teams have to consist of players already on site having qualified in the singles or doubles. Fifteen teams, based on combined ranking, and the host nation qualified.[3]
Qualified players
a
Player did not participate as a result of injury, chose not to compete or was not selected by their governing body
b
Player has not met the minimum Fed Cup / Davis Cup representation level
c
Player is ineligible due quota limitations on athletes form a single country
d
Player has retired from the sport
e
Player received special dispensation for the Davis Cup / Fed Cup requirements from the ITF
Men's singles
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(July 2021)
^
abcdeThe player received one of the reallocated unused quotas.
^
abQuota was reallocated to direct entry through rankings as the player hadn’t met the minimum ranking requirement (within top 300) for qualification.
^
abcThe following entries were added to the entry list as late replacements instead of original entrants who had withdrawn.[32]
^Quota was passed from 2019 Pan American Games silver medalist
Caroline Dolehide to the next highest placed competitor at the Pan American Games as four athletes from the United States had already qualified.
^2011 US Open Singles champion. Quota was passed from four-time Olympic gold medalist and multiple Grand Slam Champion
Venus Williams as four athletes from the United States had already qualified. Defending women's singles champion
Monica Puig would have been entered into the draw, but withdrew due to ongoing shoulder injury.
^"OH: Klein v Tokiu aj v dvojhre!" [Olympic Games:Klein in Tokyo also in singles!]. www.stz.sk (in Slovak). 19 July 2021.
Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^Janičić, Svetozar (8 July 2021).
"Danka Kovinić ne ide u Tokio" [Danka Kovinić is not going to Tokyo]. Sportklub (in Serbian).
Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
^"DTF og Clara Tauson må sige nej til OL pga. skade" [DTF and Clara Tauson have to say no to the Olympics due to injury] (in Danish). Danish Tennis Federation. 13 July 2021.
Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
^Zhan, Jianjian (28 June 2021).
"東奧》職網詹家姐妹二度合體進軍奧運 「疫情阻擋不了朝夢想前進的步伐」" [Eastern Olympics: Chan sisters from the professional network joined the Olympics for the second time. "The epidemic can't stop the progress toward the dream."]. Yahoo Taiwan (in Chinese).
Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.