Tennis at the 2012 Summer Olympics — sporting event of the 2012 Summer Olympics
First Olympic tennis tournament held at a Grand Slam venue in the Open era, played on grass at Wimbledon with mixed doubles returning for the first time since 1924.
Key Facts
- Dates
- 28 July – 5 August 2012
- Total players
- 190 players
- Events contested
- 5 (men's/women's singles, doubles, mixed doubles)
- Mixed doubles absence
- First mixed doubles since 1924
- Venue
- All England Club, Wimbledon
- Surface
- Grass (first Olympic grass court tournament)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
London was selected to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, and the bid included use of the All England Club at Wimbledon — a Grand Slam venue — for tennis. This was the first time since tennis was reintroduced as an Olympic sport that a Grand Slam venue was used, and the ITF restored mixed doubles to the programme for the first time since 1924.
From 28 July to 5 August 2012, 190 players competed across five events at Wimbledon. The reigning champions, Elena Dementieva and Rafael Nadal, did not defend their titles — Dementieva having retired in 2010 and Nadal withdrawing due to tendinitis. Notably, the All England Club's all-white clothing rule was waived to allow national team attire.
The tournament established a precedent for Olympic tennis at Grand Slam venues and demonstrated flexibility in host-venue rules. Paris subsequently included Roland Garros in its successful 2024 Olympic bid, partly inspired by the Wimbledon model. The reintroduction of mixed doubles became a permanent fixture of Olympic tennis going forward.