Tennis players face impossible 2028 schedule with Wimbledon, Summer Olympics

The ATP and WTA tennis calendars in a normal year are mind boggling; however, the challenge is even greater in 2028 when the Los Angeles Summer Olympics and Wimbledon are happening at the same time.

Recall that the 2024 Paris Olympics happened at Roland Garros, 12 days after the conclusion of Wimbledon. The travel time was minimal as both events were in Europe.

That’s not the case in 2028, and players will have to make hard decisions to navigate the events.

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Wimbledon finals are two days after Olympic opening ceremonies

The last day of Wimbledon is July 16; the first day of the Summer Olympics is July 14.

The Olympic tennis action will get underway on July 19 with mixed doubles going first in a 16 team format similar to the US Open. Men’s and women’s singles draws will have 64 players. Doubles draws will contain 32 teams. Singles draws kick off July 20 and doubles on July 21.

The newly crowned Wimbledon championswill go to the Wimbledon Ball on July 16, fly to LA, recover from jet lag, practice, and prepare to play three to five days later.

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What will the players do?

The US players may skip Wimbledon to be home for the Olympics. Novak Djokovic, who previously said, he wants to retire after the Los Angeles Olympics, may also do that.

The grass season is about a month long, and some players may skip all of it. After the 2028 French Open concludes typically in mid June, those competing in the Olympics may come to the US and train on hardcourts.

Would Wimbledon adjust its schedule?

Could Wimbledon adjust its schedule? It would be practically unheard of for the tournament to do so. Even if it did, when would it move to? When the Olympics conclude in late July, the players will stay in the US and prepare for the North American hardcourt swing and the US Open. The only possibility would be to shorten the grass court season, moving Wimbledon up to late June.

That is still a lot to manage from the player standpoint. The French Open, Wimbledon, and 2028 Olympics, on three different surfaces, would be one after another.

It is a no-win situation for players who want to compete in both the 2028 Wimbledon Championships ans the Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

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