Tennis at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's outdoor doubles

This was the fourth appearance of the men's doubles tennis. The event has been held at every Summer Olympics where tennis has been on the program: from 1896 to 1924 and then from 1988 to the current program. A demonstration event was held in 1968. In 1908, for the first time of two, an indoor version was held concurrently. Teams of mixed nationality, which had been permitted in previous Games, were no longer allowed.

The British brothers Laurence Doherty and Reginald Doherty had been dominant for the late 1890s and early 1900s, winning the 1900 Olympic championship and eight consecutive Wimbledon titles. Laurence retired in 1906, however, leaving Reginald to search for other partners. He played with George Hillyard, an accomplished player past his prime, for the 1908 Olympic tournament.[2] Arthur Gore and Herbert Roper Barrett, who had won the indoor doubles event, were among the most notable late scratches.[3]

Austria, Bohemia, Canada, Hungary, the Netherlands, and South Africa each made their debut in the event. Germany and Great Britain each made their third appearance in the event, tied for most among nations.

The competition was a single-elimination tournament. A bronze medal match was expected, but not played due to withdrawals.[4] All matches were best-of-five sets. Tiebreaks had not been invented yet.

The Olympics started three days after the end of the 1908 Wimbledon Championships, a scheduling issue which the Official Report recommended avoiding in the future.[5]

• Cook, Theodore Andrea (May 1909). The Fourth Olympiad London 1908 Official Report (PDF). London: British Olympic Association. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
• ITF, 2008 Olympic Tennis Event Media Guide