Sam Stosur and Lleyton Hewitt will captain the Australian Olympic Tennis team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with the tennis events to be staged at Roland Garros.
Paris, France, 24 July 2024 | Harriet Rendle
Sam Stosur and Lleyton Hewitt captain the Australian Olympic Tennis team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this week.
Five-time Olympian Stosur, the only Australian tennis player to represent the country at five Games, will lead the women’s team alongside women’s coach and two-time Olympian Nicole Pratt.
The 2001 US Open champion retired from professional tennis last year and was appointed Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup captain in December 2023.
“I never thought I’d be going to another Olympics in any sort of capacity. So, yeah, very excited to be heading to Paris and supporting all the players,” said Stosur, who competed at Tokyo 2020, Rio 2016, London 2012, Beijing 2008 and Athens 2004.
Stosur recalled her emotions walking in several opening ceremonies and being a member of the wider Australian Olympic team.
“Going out to some of the opening ceremonies and walking, through the tunnel with the greater Australian team, the energy and, you know, the sound and the noise. I’m getting goosebumps talking about it,” she said.
“I think the opening ceremonies have been absolutely incredible, to be able to march and be part of, and obviously the competing and everything else.
“I think just feeling like you are a part of obviously the tennis team, which is such a small part of the greater Australian team, it’s, you know, 400 athletes or something. It’s a really special position to be in.”
Now as captain, Stosur will be on the sidelines to support Australia’s women, while encouraging them to enjoy Olympic Village life.
“Now to be in this position trying to help them through, to hopefully win medals and get the most, you know, out of themselves and the event, is a great position to be in. I think I’ve got lots of experience to try and pass on,” she said.
“Especially at the start when you first get there, it’s exciting. It can be a bit chaotic. I think sometimes you got to kind of take all that in when you first arrive and sort of get it at ease… Open your eyes, see everything so then you feel like you’ve kind of experienced a lot of it and then you can sort of get down to business.
“The great thing about the tennis event is obviously somewhere that all the players are really…
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