2020 Olympic Qualification:Team USA standings

In the buildup to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, this page will provide updated standings on the American qualification race, along with a primer on the rules that govern the process.

Before the nation’s best tennis players come together for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics, America’s top talents will be competing with each other for a coveted spot on the summer roster. With so many Americans near the top of the ATP and WTA singles rankings, that competition figures to be fierce.  

The tennis competition at the 2020 Olympics—set for  July 25-Aug. 2 at Ariake Tennis Park—will include 64-player draws for both men’s and women’s singles, 32-team draws for men’s and women’s doubles, and a 16-team field in mixed doubles.

As many as 12 American tennis players can qualify for Tokyo: up to four each in men’s and women’s singles, and up to two teams each in men’s and women’s doubles (singles takes precedence). Mixed doubles teams are nominated by their respective governing bodies from the existing pool of singles and doubles qualifiers.

Specific details on qualification for the various competitions are explained below, with further information available via the ITF. Any potential nominees must also meet additional ITF eligibility criteria.

Singles

Up to four American men and four American women can qualify for the singles competition. A total of 56 direct acceptances are awarded based on the singles world rankings on June 8, 2020 (immediately following the French Open), subject to the four-player maximum per nation. (E.g. If five or more Americans are among the first 56 eligible players, only the Top 4 will qualify, provided all four accept their nominations.)

If any of the initial 56 eligible direct acceptances decline their nomination, their spot will go to the next-highest-ranked eligible player, still subject to the four-player national quota. 

Six continental qualification places are also allocated, with the qualification route varying by region. As it relates to the U.S., under the banner of North and South America, two places in each draw are reserved for the 2019 Pan American Games singles champion and finalist. Caroline Dolehide, as the 2019 women’s finalist, is in line for this place. However, rankings-based qualifiers take precedence, meaning that Dolehide would not be granted a place if four American women are among the 56 rankings-based acceptances.   

There is one additional qualification place in each draw reserved for a former Olympic singles gold medalist or Grand Slam singles champion who does not earn direct entry, provided the four-player quota has not already been reached for his or her nation.

Finally, the host nation of Japan is granted one place in the event they do not have a qualifier via one of the previously outlined avenues. 

Reallocation procedures for those final eight reserved places are detailed on page six of the ITF qualification memo.

The following unofficial U.S. standings are based on cumulative ranking points compiled by each player in the weeks since the conclusion of the 2019 French Open. As we approach the 2020 French Open—the last top-tier event before the qualification cutoff—the standings will more closely represent the standard 52-week ATP and WTA rankings.

Men’s Singles (Top 10 as of March 9, 2020)

1. Taylor Fritz, 1,200 points (ATP Ranking: No. 24)
2. John Isner, 1,070 (No. 21)
3. Reilly Opelka, 1,000 (No. 39)
4. Sam Querrey, 920 (No. 45)
5. Steve Johnson, 770 (No. 63)
   
6. Tommy Paul, 745 (No. 57)
7. Tennys Sandgren, 727 (No. 55)
8. Marcos Giron, 455 (No. 102)
   
9. Denis Kudla, 419 (No. 111)
10. Frances Tiafoe, 413 (No. 81)

Women’s Singles (Top 10 as of March 9, 2020)

1. Sofia Kenin, 4,333 points (WTA Ranking: No. 4)
2. Serena Williams, 3,595 (No. 9)
3. Alison Riske, 2,055 (No. 19)
4. Madison Keys, 1,972 (No. 13)
5. Jennifer Brady, 997 (No. 48)
6. Coco Gauff, 979 (No. 52)
7. Bernarda Pera, 711 (No. 60)
8. Danielle Collins, 692 (No. 51)
   
9. Jessica Pegula, 631 (No. 80)
10. Lauren Davis, 624 (No. 62)
    

Doubles

Up to two American men’s teams and two American women’s teams can qualify for the doubles competition. Acceptances are subject to the six-player quota per nation (across singles and doubles).

An athlete ranked in the respective tour’s doubles Top 10 on June 8 will gain direct acceptance into the doubles event, and have the opportunity to select any partner ranked inside the Top 300 of either the doubles or singles rankings.

As of the March 9 ATP and WTA rankings, only Rajeev Ram, the doubles world No. 9, meets that criteria. On the women’s side, both Nicole Melichar (No. 19) and 2016 mixed doubles gold medalist Bethanie Mattek-Sands (No. 20) are within striking distance of the Top 10.

Thereafter, additional places up to and including the 24th direct acceptance will be allocated to the highest-ranked nominated teams based on combined ranking.

The ITF defines the combined ranking as “the ranking of a doubles or mixed doubles team obtained by adding together each athlete’s best ranking from either the singles rankings or doubles rankings of 8 June 2020.”

One host nation place is also reserved.

The remaining places will continue to be awarded based on combined ranking, until the quota of 86 athletes per gender (singles and doubles combined) is reached. At that point, remaining places will be allocated according to the below, in priority order:

1. Highest combined ranked teams with both athletes accepted into the singles event
2. Highest combined ranked teams with one athlete accepted into the singles event
3. Highest combined ranked teams remaining

Mixed Doubles

The mixed doubles field will be comprised of athletes already accepted into the singles or doubles events. A maximum of two teams from one nation can gain entry, with acceptance based on the combined ranking of the nominated teams. One host nation place is also reserved.