The Australian Olympic Committee has named Australia\u2019s biggest-ever Olympic tennis team, with the 11 athletes eclipsing the 10-strong teams from Sydney 2000 and Rio 2016, and Sam Stosur becoming the first Australian tennis player to make five Olympics.<\/p>\n
World No.1 Ash Barty and world No.15 Alex de Minaur headline the eight Olympic debutants on the team, with Rio Olympians John Millman and John Peers returning for their second Games.<\/p>\n
Stosur and Barty are joined by Ajla Tomljanovic in women\u2019s singles, with Barty teaming up with Storm Sanders and Stosur with Ellen Perez in women\u2019s doubles.<\/p>\n
Millman, Nick Kyrgios and James Duckworth join De Minaur in the men\u2019s singles, with Millman partnering Luke Saville, and John Peers playing alongside De Minaur in men\u2019s doubles.<\/p>\n
Only two women will have represented Australia at more Olympics than Stosur \u2013 her Tokyo 2020 teammates Mary Hanna (equestrian) and Jian Fang Lay (table tennis), who will both compete at their sixth Games in Tokyo.<\/p>\n
Alicia Molik, an Athens 2004 women\u2019s singles bronze medallist, will captain the women\u2019s team and national men\u2019s coach Jaymon Crabb will lead the men\u2019s team.<\/p>\n
Chef de Mission for the Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo Ian Chesterman congratulated the athletes on today\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic to announce our biggest ever Australian Olympic tennis team,\u201d Mr Chesterman said. \u201cOver the years many of our Australian tennis players have embraced the opportunity to represent their country at an Olympic Games. Now these 11 players add to that story. It is a highly-credentialed team that has a real opportunity to add to Australia\u2019s Olympic history.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to particularly congratulate Sam Stosur on becoming Australia\u2019s first tennis player to make it to five Olympics. She joins a select group of Athletes who have been selected on five Australian Olympic teams. To create a career that stretches from Athens in 2004 to Tokyo in 2021 is a remarkable feat.<\/p>\n
\u201cCongratulations to all the players announced today, we\u2019re thrilled to see you in the green and gold in Tokyo and I\u2019m sure there will be millions of Australian fans cheering you on.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you also to Tennis Australia and to the coaches, families, friends and supporter group that have helped these 11 players reach this Tokyo Olympic goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Five-time Olympian Stosur said she was proud of achieving this Olympic milestone.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s super special being able to represent your country in one Olympics, let alone five,\u201d Stosur said. \u201cI can\u2019t believe I\u2019m still going at this point in time, but thankfully I was able to keep going and make it between London and Tokyo which I didn\u2019t ever think was going to be on the cards.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be part of a broader Australian team, that\u2019s just another level of representation and there\u2019s so many amazing, fantastic athletes, in the team every single year. You get to meet people that you\u2019d never ever think that you\u2019d be able to meet or talk to and whatever their sport is, they\u2019re the best in the country and some of the best in the world. To be part of that is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn primary school we did a time capsule. 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 No.1 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, who would\u2019ve thought, is something incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
World No.1 Ash Barty also makes history as Australia\u2019s first Indigenous Olympian in tennis.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think making your first Olympic team, particularly as an Australian, we have such a rich history and the Olympics is something I\u2019ve always dreamt of and obviously super excited to get out there and represent the green and gold with the rest of the team,\u201d Barty said. \u201cIt\u2019s a massive united team and I can\u2019t wait to be a part of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cCompeting in an Olympic Games is always a dream, as young kids you aspire to, and I think we have so many iconic legends in Australian sport who have paved the way for us. Now for me to get a chance to create my own legacy, my own guide for youngsters coming through is really exciting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m 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. I\u2019m fit, I\u2019m healthy, I\u2019m excited to play doubles with Storm, she\u2019s a childhood friend of mine and we\u2019ve played a lot together from when we were young. So to be able to live out this dream with her is really, really special.\u201d<\/p>\n