Ash Barty and Nick Kyrgios in major Tokyo Olympics announcement
Ash Barty and Nick Kyrgios have confirmed their participation at the Tokyo Olympics and will headline an 11-member Australian tennis team.
Tennis Australia announced the team on Tuesday, with Alex De Minaur, John Millman, James Duckworth, John Peers and Luke Saville joining Kyrgios on the men's team.
'NICE TO SEE': Djokovic's brilliant act for Ash Barty at Wimbledon
'EMBARRASSMENT': Australia put to shame in Wimbledon moment
Sam Stosur, Ellen Perez, Storm Sanders and Ajla Tomljanovic make up the rest of the female contingent.
Stosur will be appearing at her fifth Olympic Games, while Millman and Peers are heading to their second.
The rest of the team will make their Olympic debuts in Tokyo.
"It's super special being able to represent your country in one Olympics let alone five," Stosur said on Tuesday.
"In primary school we did a time capsule thing.
"I went to the school for the first year that it opened and I wrote in there that I wanted to win a Grand Slam, be number one in the world and go to an Olympic Games.
"To have done two out of the three, thinking that when I was nine or 10-years-old ... is something incredible."
Australia’s biggest ever Olympic tennis team has been announced for #Tokyo2020, featuring Australia's first 5x tennis Olympian @bambamsam30, and current World #1 @ashbarty 🎾#TokyoTogether | @TennisAustralia https://t.co/1Ft4Cv425Z
— AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) June 29, 2021
Ash Barty over the moon to compete at Olympics
Stosur, Tomljanovic and Barty will compete in the women's singles, with Barty teaming up with Sanders and Stosur with Perez in the doubles.
"Making your first Olympic team ... is something I've always dreamt of," Barty said.
"I'm excited to play both singles and doubles.
"Any opportunity you get to wear the green and gold, I wanted to grab it with both hands."
De Minaur is the highest-ranked Aussie male at World No.15 (his career-best) after winning his fifth career title at the Eastbourne International three days ago.
"It's an incredibly special feeling (to be going to the Olympics)," he said.
"The anticipation brings a higher level of intensity and, of course, passion.
"Playing for your country, it's always going to be very special."
De Minaur, Millman, Peers and Saville have been named for both singles and doubles tournaments, with Kyrgios and Duckworth to contest singles only.
Alicia Molik will captain the women's team, while national men's coach Jaymon Crabb will skipper the male side.
Molik is the only Australian in history to win an Olympic tennis medal - claiming bronze in Athens in 2004.
I don’t think the world is ready for Olympic Kyrgios 😍😍😍 https://t.co/qoQpXaMHA2
— Chris De Silva (@cdesilva23) June 29, 2021
Australia has announced their largest ever Olympic tennis team with 11 players headlined by Ash Barty and Alex de Minaur.
Nick Kyrgios will make his Olympic debut also
Sam Stosur to compete at her FIFTH Olympics, only two other Aussie women have competed at more.#Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/X2m65BcIam— Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) June 29, 2021
Superstardom
— Victor #StaySafe 🇦🇺 (@BigV2011WCE) June 29, 2021
Really pleased to see Kyrgios going to the Olympics after all that utter bullshit last time around
— James Nankivell (@JamesNanks) June 29, 2021
Meanwhile, Barty, de Minaur and Kyrgios will also headline Australians in action at Wimbledon on Tuesday night.
with AAP
Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.