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Ash Barty and Nick Kyrgios in major Tokyo Olympics announcement

Sam Goodwin
·Sports Editor
·3-min read
Ash Barty and Nick Kyrgios, pictured here in action for Australia.
Ash Barty and Nick Kyrgios will headline Australia's Olympic tennis team. Image: Getty

Ash Barty and Nick Kyrgios have confirmed their participation at the Tokyo Olympics and will headline an 11-member Australian tennis team.

Tennis Australia announced the team on Tuesday, with Alex De Minaur, John Millman, James Duckworth, John Peers and Luke Saville joining Kyrgios on the men's team.

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Sam Stosur, Ellen Perez, Storm Sanders and Ajla Tomljanovic make up the rest of the female contingent.

Stosur will be appearing at her fifth Olympic Games, while Millman and Peers are heading to their second.

The rest of the team will make their Olympic debuts in Tokyo.

"It's super special being able to represent your country in one Olympics let alone five," Stosur said on Tuesday.

"In primary school we did a time capsule thing.

"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 number one 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 ... is something incredible."

Ash Barty over the moon to compete at Olympics

Stosur, Tomljanovic and Barty will compete in the women's singles, with Barty teaming up with Sanders and Stosur with Perez in the doubles.

"Making your first Olympic team ... is something I've always dreamt of," Barty said.

"I'm 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."

De Minaur is the highest-ranked Aussie male at World No.15 (his career-best) after winning his fifth career title at the Eastbourne International three days ago.

Nick Kyrgios, Ash Barty and Sam Stosur, pictured here at the 2013 Newcombe Medal.
Nick Kyrgios, Ash Barty (L) and Sam Stosur (R) at the 2013 Newcombe Medal. (Photo by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

"It's an incredibly special feeling (to be going to the Olympics)," he said.

"The anticipation brings a higher level of intensity and, of course, passion.

"Playing for your country, it's always going to be very special."

De Minaur, Millman, Peers and Saville have been named for both singles and doubles tournaments, with Kyrgios and Duckworth to contest singles only.

Alicia Molik will captain the women's team, while national men's coach Jaymon Crabb will skipper the male side.

Molik is the only Australian in history to win an Olympic tennis medal - claiming bronze in Athens in 2004.

Meanwhile, Barty, de Minaur and Kyrgios will also headline Australians in action at Wimbledon on Tuesday night.

with AAP

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