PkRevenue.com – The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has announced the first two players confirmed for the Paris 2024 Olympic Tennis Event: Benjamin Hassan from Lebanon and Danka Kovinic of Montenegro. Both athletes have been awarded Universality Places in the men’s and women’s singles events, respectively.
Universality Places, designed to ensure broader representation at the Olympic Games, are allocated to underrepresented nations by the Olympic Games Tripartite Commission in conjunction with the ITF.
Making history, Hassan will become the first Lebanese player to compete in an Olympic Tennis Event. Kovinic, who was the first Montenegrin to participate in tennis at the Rio 2016 Games, is set to make her second Olympic appearance.
“It’s always a great pleasure representing my country, especially at the Olympics,” Kovinic expressed. “This means even more for me, knowing I had to withdraw from Tokyo 2020 at the last minute due to an injury. I genuinely hope the Games in Paris will be another great experience for myself and that I can embrace all the atmosphere the Olympics bring to athletes.”
Reflecting on his journey, Hassan shared, “Growing up, playing tennis has always been my passion. I dreamed of reaching stellar positions and representing my country in international tournaments. Taking part in the Paris 2024 Olympic Tennis Event is an important milestone in realizing my dreams.”
The announcement of their participation coincides with the ranking cut-off day for the Olympic Tennis Event. Direct acceptances into the men’s and women’s singles and doubles events at Paris 2024 are being determined by today’s ATP and WTA rankings.
The ITF will announce the full entry list for Paris 2024 on July 4, though some nations may confirm their teams before that date.
In addition to the 56 direct acceptances and universality places, there are six final qualification spots for each of the men’s and women’s singles events.
These spots are based on players’ performances at Continental Games. Additionally, there are two places reserved for former Grand Slam or Olympic champions with the highest number of titles.
France, as the host country, will not require an additional place due to the strength of its team, increasing the ranking cut-off for direct acceptance.
In the doubles events, the top 10 ranked players as of today (June 10) will receive direct entry if nominated by their country. These players must team up with a partner from their nation ranked in the top 300 in either singles or doubles. The remaining doubles spots are allocated by combined ranking and singles priority.
Countries can nominate a maximum of six players for each of the men’s and women’s events across singles and doubles.
