Perhaps above all else, tennis at the Rio 2016 Olympics will be remembered for its numerous upsets.
Serbia’s World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who had completed the career Grand Slam just two months prior, was ousted in the first round.
But as some superstars fell, other favorites – old and new – emerged. Spain’s World No. 5 singles player Rafael Nadal came back from a nagging wrist injury to win doubles gold and almost take home a second singles medal. (The Beijing 2008 singles gold medalist lost in the Bronze Medal Match.)
Puerto Rico’s unseeded Monica Puig stepped up and swung hard to earn her territory’s first Olympic gold medal by winning the women’s singles competition.
Argentina’s oft-injured Juan Martin del Potro went from being trapped in an elevator just before his opening match to improving upon his London 2012 singles bronze medal by winning Rio silver.
And Great Britain’s World No. 2 Andy Murray, hot off his Wimbledon win in July, made Olympic history by becoming the first singles player to win back-to-back gold medals.
Despite early-round exits from the Williams sisters, the United States still managed to win more tennis medals than any other country (with three total): Gold in mixed doubles (won by the pair of Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock), silver in mixed doubles (Venus Williams rebounded to compete alongside Rajeev Ram), bronze in men’s doubles (Steve Johnson and Jack Sock). By earning two medals, Sock became Rio’s most decorated tennis Olympian.
Finally, after more than 20 years playing professional tennis, Switzerland’s Martina Hingis took home one of the only awards she hadn’t won by earning mixed doubles silver alongside compatriot Timea Bacsinszky.