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 2011 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 familiar with playing at Roland Garros.”

Hewitt, who at age 19 made his first Olympic team, represented Australia at three Olympics including London 2012, Beijing 2008 and Sydney 2000.

Since 2016, the former world No.1 and two-time Grand Slam singles champion has captained Australia’s Davis Cup team.

Hewitt will lead the men’s team alongside coach Jaymon Crabb.

“First time actually going as a captain in the Olympic format,” Hewitt said. “I was fortunate enough to play in three Olympic Games as well. So I’m very honored to get this opportunity and obviously help the guys every time they put on the green and gold.

“I was very fortunate and I was able to get in to Sydney, obviously our home games, my first one in 2000. I was fortunate enough to share a room with Pat Rafter. He was like an older brother to me, and he was a guy that I idolised and looked up to for so many years, as an Australian tennis player and got to world No.1, won Grand Slams and to be alongside him, and kind of hang out with him during the Sydney Olympics was pretty special.

“I think one of the other real special ones was getting to play at Wimbledon, the All England Club in the London Olympics Games. That was really something special to play an Olympic Games on a different surface as well.”

Like Stosur, Hewitt will be encouraging the men’s team to embrace the Olympic experience as much as possible.

“There’s a lot going on… And there’s quite a lot of distractions. So I think when you first get in the village, it’s trying to enjoy it as much as possible. I know the Australian team, as a whole, with every sport is a very close-knit team as well.

“When you’re two or three days out from actually having to go out there and play, it’s time to really start focusing on what you have to do to get your preparation right.

“Obviously this is pretty special, getting to play at another Grand Slam location in Roland Garros in Paris.”

Hewitt believes the Olympics play a really important role on the tennis tour.

“It’s unbelievably important. And I think coming from a country like Australia as well, we’re a very sporting nation. We’ve had so much success in the Olympic Games over so many years, and we are spoiled in the sport of tennis,” he said.

“We get the opportunity to play at these unbelievable venues throughout the year, but especially the four Grand Slams. Some of these other smaller sports… they get this opportunity to play in the Olympics once in every four years for them. This is what they work towards.

“In a sense, it is a little bit different to tennis. But you just see the guys that are playing and how much they want to one get a medal, but obviously especially to get the gold medal.”