Qualification for tennis at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, was determined not by any form of qualifying tournament, but by the rankings maintained by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).
Qualifying criteria
The main qualifying criteria were the ATP and WTA ranking lists as of 11 June 2012. The players entering were formally submitted by the International Tennis Federation. The ATP and WTA rankings were based on performances from the previous 52 weeks, and there were several tournaments in the two-month period between the time of the rankings being frozen for entry and the beginning of the tennis events at the Olympics. Players must have also made themselves available for two Fed/Davis Cup events from 2009–2012, one of which must have taken place in 2011–2012, and had a good standing with their National Olympic Committee.[1]
Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) could enter up to six men and six women athletes, with a maximum of four entries in the individual events, and two pairs in the doubles events. Any player in the world's top 56 was eligible, and NOCs had the option to enter players of a lower rank. Athletes were able to compete in both singles and doubles events.[2] Doubles players within the top 10 doubles rankings on 11 June were eligible to bring any player provided that player had any doubles or singles ranking, and as long as the number of players from the same country did not surpass the total of six.[3]
Qualifiers
a
Player did not participate as a result of injury or the choice not to compete
b
Player had not met the minimal Fed/Davis Cup representation level
c
Player is ineligible due to too many players from a certain country
The Entry List was released on 26 June 2012, based on the rankings as at 11 June.[4]
Number in brackets = players participating only in doubles
Notes
^ abRafael Nadal was originally in the entry list but withdrew due to ongoing knee problem. His slot was occupied by the 5th highest ranked Spaniard Feliciano Lopez who originally didn't made the list due to Spain having 4 representatives in singles already. Nadal was also scheduled to play doubles with Marcel Granollers and was replaced by Marc Lopez in partnering Granollers.[6]
^Gaël Monfils was originally in the entry list but withdrew due to a knee problem. His slot was occupied by the 5th highest ranked Frenchman Julien Benneteau who originally didn't made the list due to France having 4 representatives in singles already.[8]
^Kevin Anderson applied for a US green card after marrying Kelsey O’Neal, an American citizen. This process prevented him from leaving the United States and thus making himself available for the 2012 Davis Cup season. Therefore he could not fulfill the qualification criteria and is not eligible for the Olympics.[9]
^Donald Young hasn't played any Davis Cup matches so far though he made himself available for drafting and thus hasn't been ruled out by the USTA Olympic Selection Oversight Committee.[10]
^ abIvo Karlović was originally in the entry list but withdrew due to a foot injury. His slot was occupied by the highest ranked player on site German Philipp Petzschner.[11]
^Although David Goffin only played one Davis Cup match in his career he was allowed to participate in the Olympics by the Belgian Olympic Committee given he finished in the top 56 on June 11.[12]
^ abKaia Kanepi was originally in the entry list but withdrew due to failing to recover from a heel injury. Her slot was occupied by Tímea Babos and Babos's ITF place was taken by Mariana Duque-Mariño.[13]
^ abAndrea Petkovic was originally in the entry list but withdrew due to ongoing ankle injury. Her slot was occupied by the 5th highest ranked German Mona Barthel who originally didn't make the list due to Germany having 4 representatives in singles already. Petkovic was also scheduled to play doubles with Julia Görges and was replaced by Anna-Lena Grönefeld in partnering Görges.[14]
^ abcdefMonica Niculescu was originally in the entry list but withdrew due to an injury she sustained in the Wimbledon Championships. Her slot was occupied by Kateryna Bondarenko and Bondarenko's ITF place was taken by Timea Babos. Niculescu's place in the women's doubles with Irina-Camelia Begu was taken by the Bondarenko sisters, whose ITF place was awarded to Elena Baltacha and Anne Keothavong.[15]
^ abcdAlona Bondarenko was originally in the entry list but withdrew due to injury. Her slot was occupied by the highest ranked player on site British Heather Watson. Bondarenko was supposed to compete in doubles as well with sister Kateryna Bondarenko, their slot was not occupied by another team instead the top seed received a bye.[16]
^ abPetra Martić was originally in the entry list but withdrew due to a foot injury. Her slot was occupied by the highest ranked player on site British Laura Robson.[17]
^ abTamira Paszek was initially ruled ineligible by the ITF, but won the appeal lodged by Tennis Austria. She replaced Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland, who was on the initial entry list but told Swiss Tennis she would not compete in the Olympics.[19]
