10 most unexpected results in Olympics tennis history

Tennis enjoys a fairly rich history at the Olympics. The sport was part of the inaugural Games in 1896, but was dropped from the Olympic program after 1924. It made its return in the 1988 edition in Seoul and has been part of the Olympics ever since.

Representing their country at the Olympics has always been a matter of pride for tennis players, with the prestige of winning a medal increasing with each passing year. This year, however, many players have opted against traveling to Tokyo citing health concerns and pandemic restrictions.

Nevertheless, a host of popular names are still gearing up for the opportunities that await them in the Japanese capital. With less than 10 days until the Tokyo Olympics kicks off, let us take a look at some of the most unexpected tennis results at previous editions of the Games:

#10 Tomas Berdych's second-round upset of top seed Roger Federer at 2004 Athens Olympics

Unseeded Tomas Berdych produced the shock of the Athens Olympics in 2004 when he defeated top seed Roger Federer in the second round.

Tomas Berdych and Roger Federer at the net after their second-round match at the Athens Olympics in 2004

Federer had been in sensational form that year, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon. But he had no answer to the Czech on the day, falling to a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 loss.

Berdych then defeated 15th seed Tommy Robredo in a nerve-wracking three-setter in the next round. But the fatigue of back-to-back, physically demanding encounters took its toll and he lost in the quarterfinals to Taylor Dent.

#9 Elina Svitolina's shock upset of defending champion Serena Williams at Rio 2016

Elina Svitolina pulled off an epic third-round upset of the defending champion and then 22-time Major winner Serena Williams in Rio five years ago. The Ukrainian battled to a 6-4, 6-3 victory over the American legend, marking the biggest win of her career.

Elina Svitolina in her match against Serena Williams at the Rio Olympics in 2016

Svitolina, seeded 15th, advanced until the quarterfinals, where she lost to eventual bronze medalist Petra Kvitova.

#8 Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka's doubles gold medal at Beijing 2008

Singles specialists Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka paired up to represent Switzerland in doubles at the Beijing Games in 2008. The two went on a magical run, beating the greatest doubles team of all time, Bob and Mike Bryan, en route to the gold medal.

Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka with their gold medals at the Beijing Olympics medal ceremony

After upsetting the Bryans in the semifinals, Federer and Wawrinka defeated Sweden's Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson in four sets in the final to clinch the gold.

#7 Fernando Gonzalez's bronze medal at Athens 2004

Fernando Gonzalez's first career highlight came at the Athens Olympics in 2004, when he captured the bronze medal. His third-round victory over Wimbledon finalist and second seed Andy Roddick was one of the biggest surprises of the tournament.

Mardy Fish (L), Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez (R) at the Athens Olympics medal ceremony

Seeded 16th at the event, Gonzalez beat Konstantinos Economidis, Lee Hyung-taik, Roddick and Sebastien Grosjean before falling to Mardy Fish in the semifinals. But he recovered to defeat American Taylor Dent 6-4, 2-6, 16-14 in a marathon three-setter in the bronze medal match.

#6 Alicia Molik's bronze medal at Athens 2004

Alicia Molik created history at the Athens Games in 2004, becoming the first tennis player from Australia to win an individual medal at the Olympics.

Amelia Mauresmo (L), Justine Henin and Alicia Molik (R) at the Athens 2004 medal ceremony

Unseeded at the Olympics, Molik produced a first-round upset of fourth seed Elena Dementieva. She also managed to beat third seed Anastasia Myskina in the bronze medal match.

#5 Jennifer Capriati's gold medal at Barcelona 1992

Jennifer Capriati became an Olympic gold medalist at just 16 years of age when she triumphed at Barcelona in 1992. Seeded third, she defeated defending champion Steffi Graf in a three-set final to win the gold medal.

Jennifer Capriati at the medal ceremony of the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games

Despite being just 16, Capriati had already developed into a force to reckon with on the tour. She went into the Olympics with three Major semifinals under her belt.

In Barcelona, Capriati lost just two sets and became the first American tennis player to win the Olympic gold in singles.

#4 Marc Rosset's gold medal at Barcelona 1992

Marc Rosset won Switzerland's only gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 when he defeated Spain's Jordi Arrese in the final. Rosset was also the first unseeded player in the Open Era to be crowned an Olympic champion.

Marc Rosset reacts after winning his gold medal match at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games

The Swiss beat a total of five seeds en route to the title, including top seed Jim Courier in the third round.

#3 Juan Martin del Potro's silver medal at Rio 2016

Juan Martin del Potro won bronze in London 2012, but upgraded to silver four years later at Rio. 2016 marked the Argentinian's return to tennis after battling a series of injuries.

Juan Martin Del Potro wearing his silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

After entering the Olympics on a protected ranking, Del Potro had a stellar run. In a shock first-round upset, he beat top seed and then 12-time Major champion Novak Djokovic.

He further went on to overcome Rafael Nadal in a tight semifinal, before losing the gold medal match to second seed Andy Murray.

#2 Leander Paes's bronze medal at Atlanta 1996

Leander Paes's bronze medal in singles at Atlanta 1996 ended India's 16-year medal drought at the Olympics. It was also the country's first individual medal at the Games since 1952.

Leander Paes (L), Sergi Bruguera and Andre Agassi (R) at Atlanta 1996 medal ceremony

Prior to his Olympic glory, Paes had not won a single match at the Grand Slam level. He was a doubles specialist in the making, and had already made the semifinals of the US Open.

A medal in Olympics singles was certainly a surprise. The young Indian was unseeded and entered the tournament as a wildcard.

After falling to eight-time Major champion Andre Agassi in the semifinals, Paes beat Fernando Meligeni in the bronze medal match.

#1 Monica Puig's gold medal at Rio 2016

Monica Puig scripted history by becoming Puerto Rico's first Olympic gold medalist at Rio in 2016. In a draw stacked with Grand Slam champions, the then 22-year-old defied the odds to chart a commanding run to the gold medal.

Monica Puig wearing the gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Puig beat three Major champions en route to the title, including a shock upset of second seed Angelique Kerber in the gold medal match. Losing just a couple of sets throughout the tournament, the Puerto Rican became the first unseeded woman to be crowned champion in tennis at the Olympic Games.