Burning Questions for Team USA Tennis at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Despite concerns about the decline in American tennis, Team USA outperformed all others at the 2012 Olympics in London. With four key members of that team back to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, can the Americans dominate again?
In 2012, the U.S. medaled in every category except men's singles: Serena Williams won the gold in women's singles, she and sister Venus Williams captured gold in women's doubles, Mike and Bob Bryan secured gold in men's doubles and Mike Bryan and Lisa Raymond took home a bronze medal in mixed doubles.
How will Team USA fare this summer? The hard-court surface chosen by Brazilian officials certainly favors the U.S.
Will the games' close proximity also help? Which countries pose the biggest threat?
Those are just some of the burning questions for Team USA leading into the summer Olympics.
Will This Be the Last Time Venus and Serena Williams Play for Team USA?
1 of 6
Serena and Venus Williams will make their fourth appearance in the Olympics this summer. They've each won a gold medal in singles, with Serena adding the medal to her collection in London 2012 after Venus won in Sydney 2000. They've taken home the gold in doubles in Sydney, Beijing (2008) and London.
At age 34 and 35, respectively, could this be the last time the sisters play for Team USA at the Olympics?
Can the Bryan Brothers Repeat?
2 of 6
In 2012, the Bryan brothers prevailed over a men's doubles field that included Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland), Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) and Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna (India).
The U.S. pair defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Michael Llodra (France) in the gold medal match. Back then, the Bryan brothers were ranked No. 1 and dominating the ATP World Tour.
They are now ranked No. 7 and No. 8 in doubles, and 2015 was the first time they finished the year without winning a Grand Slam since 2004.
The brothers turned 38 on April 29. At that age, can the Bryans bring home the gold again?
Which Country Poses the Biggest Threat?
3 of 6
So which country presents the biggest threat?
France has so much depth on the men's side with Tsonga, Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon in singles. The doubles team of Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert won Indian Wells and the Miami Open. The French also have a solid women's doubles team in Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia, who won titles in Charleston and Stuttgart.
The Czech Republic boasts a women's lineup that has won the last two Fed Cup titles, and they are back in the finals again this year. Tomas Berdych will be the top player for the men.
Great Britain has Andy Murray, winner of the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, and his brother Jamie Murray, the No. 1-ranked player in men's doubles. No. 22 Johanna Konta and Heather Watson could represent the women.
The Swiss team will likely have Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka in singles and doubles as well as five-time Grand Slam champion Martina Hingis playing women's doubles. Belinda Bencic and Timea Bacsinszky will play singles, while Federer and Hingis are supposed to team up in mixed-doubles.
Spain is also loaded with talent. Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Roberto Bautista Agut and Feliciano Lopez are the country's top four in men's singles. Garbine Muguruza and Carla Suarez-Navarro will compete in singles and doubles, and Muguruza is teaming up with Nadal in mixed doubles.
Another team to watch is Germany. Led by 2016 Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, the German women's team is so deep that 2013 Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki might not qualify. Alexander Zverev and Philipp Kohlschreiber are the country's top two men's players.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Who Will Bethanie Mattek-Sands Pick as Partner?
4 of 6
Bethanie Mattek-Sands is ranked in the Top 10 in doubles and gains direct entry into the Olympics. She can pick any U.S. partner, provided that player is ranked in the Top 56 by June 6.
Coco Vandeweghe is the obvious choice because the two sometimes plays doubles together. The two won the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells and helped the U.S. Fed Cup team defeat Australia.
Doubles specialists Abigail Spears and Raquel Atawo are also available.
Does Any US Male Have a Shot at a Medal?
5 of 6
When John Isner announced he would not participate in the summer Olympics, that left No. 26 Jack Sock as the highest-ranked American man in singles.
Sam Querrey, ranked No 37, played in the 2008 Olympics. He could be the only American singles player with Olympics experience.
Steve Johnson (No. 32) seems positioned to make his Olympics debut, while Denis Kudla (No. 61) and 18-year-old Taylor Fritz (No. 70) have a shot at rounding out the singles entries.
With the likes of the Big Four of Novak Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray, along with Monfils, Tsonga and so many talented younger players, do the U.S. men stand a chance at taking home a medal?
Could the US Have an All-Black Singles Team?
6 of 6
A testament to how the game has become more inclusive, the U.S. could be represented by four black women—Serena and Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys.
If the selections were made today, those would be the women representing the U.S.
Vandeweghe has the fewest points to defend between now and June 6, but she's 1,000 points behind Stephens and 700 behind Keys.
This could be a historic first. However, tennis has become so much more diverse than it used to be that it's unlikely to draw much attention.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
