Tennis History

In 1896, John Pius Boland, an Oxford student, travelled to the Olympics in Athens as a spectator.

Persuaded by a Greek friend to enter the tournament, Boland won not only the singles but the doubles too.

When the organisers tried to raise the Union Flag after his doubles victory, Boland pointed out that he was Irish and Ireland had its own flag.

Boland went on to become a barrister and an MP for the Irish Nationalist Party at Westminster.

The most famous British winners were the Doherty brothers, Laurie and Reggie, who dominated the Wimbledon men's events at the turn of the century.

In the 1900 Games, Laurie won the singles, and the brothers won the doubles final against Basil Spalding de Garmendia, of the United States, and France's Max Decugis 6-1, 6-1, 6-0.

At the same Games, Britain's Charlotte 'Chattie' Cooper won the women's singles, to become the first female champion of the Olympics.

In spite of the presence at Paris in 1924 of such a luminary as Suzanne Lenglen, who won the title with ease, tennis then ceased to be an Olympic sport and was not reinstated until 1984, when it was a demonstration sport in Los Angeles.

Four years later, it became an Olympic sport again and Steffi Graf - who had won the demonstration event as a 15-year-old - returned to the Games to claim the title proper.

Andre Agassi, in 1996, Venus Williams, in 2000, and Justine Henin, in 2004, have all won as favourites, but less-fancied players often triumph – like Chile's Nicolas Massu in Athens.

Technical

Matches at the Olympics are the best of three sets except the finals of the two men's events, which are the best of five.

There are 16 players seeded for the singles and eight pairings for the doubles.

The Major Players

Justine Henin's retirement in May means that there will be a new women's champion, which could well be 2000 champion Venus Williams.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are the top-ranked men, but given the intensity of competition in recent months, it may be worth backing an outsider.

Beginners' Guide

Sweet spot - That area of the racket head which imparts the greatest return velocity to the ball.

Useless Information

At 6ft 10in, Ivo Karlovic is the tallest tennis player to compete in the Olympics.