2028 Los Angeles Olympic tennis schedule sparks major controversy

Novak Djokovic - who is striving to extend his career to the LA 2028 Olympics - will surely be shocked to hear this news.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has just announced the official schedule for tennis at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. However, immediately after its announcement, this schedule has sparked much debate as the tournament will begin just a few days after Wimbledon ends, leaving top players with almost no time to rest and adapt.

According to the plan, the tennis events at the Olympics will take place from July 19-28, 2028, lasting 10 days, one day longer than previous Olympics. Notably, the first day of competition falls on Wednesday, right after Wimbledon concludes, forcing many players to quickly move from London (UK) to Los Angeles (USA), while also switching from grass to hard court conditions in a very short time.

This is seen as a major challenge, especially for players who go deep at Wimbledon. While most athletes will be eliminated before the final stages and have more preparation time, the champions or those appearing in the finals will face a packed schedule along with the need to adapt to time zones and court surfaces.

To reduce the load, the ITF has adjusted the format for mixed doubles. Accordingly, the tournament will only last two days, with the first two rounds held on the opening day and the semifinals and finals taking place the next day. The men's and women's singles events will start from July 20 with 64 players each.

The matches will be held at Carson Courts - a tennis complex located about 20 minutes from downtown Los Angeles. This facility has 11 outdoor hard courts, including a center court with a capacity of about 10,000 spectators, fully meeting the requirements for organizing an Olympic-scale tournament.

The 2028 Olympics will maintain the same number of athletes participating in tennis compared to previous editions. The men's and women's singles have 64 players, men's and women's doubles consist of 32 pairs, while mixed doubles has 16 teams. Each country can register a maximum of 4 players in singles, 2 pairs in doubles, and 1 pair in mixed doubles. The entry list will be determined based on the ATP and WTA rankings after Roland Garros 2028.