| Tennis at the 1896 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date | 8–11 April 1896 |
| Edition | 1st |
| Surface | Red clay |
| Location | Athens Lawn Tennis Club |
| Champions | |
| Men's singles | |
 John Boland (GBR) | |
| Men's doubles | |
 John Boland / Friedrich Traun (ZZX) | |
At the 1896 Summer Olympics, two tennis events were contested, both for men. They began on 9 April and continued on 8 April, 10 April, and 11 April.[1] 13 or 15 competitors from six nations, including seven Greeks, took part in the tennis competition. Many of the doubles teams were of mixed nationality, including all three medalist pairs. None of the leading players of the time such as Wimbledon champion Harold Mahony, U.S champion Robert Wrenn, William Larned or Wilfred Baddeley participated. To strengthen the field, the organization added sportsmen from other Olympic events, including weightlifter Momčilo Tapavica, hammer thrower George S. Robertson and 800-metres runners Edwin Flack and Friedrich Traun.[2]
- ^ Dates given are in the Gregorian calendar. Greece still used the Julian calendar at the time. According to that calendar, the tennis competition began on 27 March and closed on 30 March.
- ^ Gillmeister, Heiner (1998). Tennis : A Cultural History (Repr. ed.). London: Leicester University Press. p. 227. ISBN 978-0718501952.