Tennis as an Olympic Team Sport?
Now that the tennis matches have finally begun, in between raindrops in Beijing, the conversation starts (once again) regarding the format of the tennis event in the Olympic Games. Apparently, the ITF is pleased with the current individual format because it allows a lot of players from many countries to participate. However, should the Olympics be a chance to truly showcase the global aspect of professional tennis in more of a team
format similar to Davis Cup and Federation Cup or the Hopman Cup exhibition event prior to the Australian Open? Should tennis model a sport such as gymnastics in which the players compete in both team and individual events and pointed are tallied? Ultimately, the answer is related to what the goal is for having professional tennis players compete in the Olympic Games. Is the goal to showcase the very best tennis players in tennis? Is the event meant to be a chance to allow players from lesser-known “tennis countries” compete against the “world’s best”? Most tennis pros competing in the Beijing Olympics emphasize how much it means to them to be playing for their country in the Olympics. Therefore, it seems that there should be a greater emphasis on the country team aspect of tennis in the Olympics. This would place the focus on the countries more than the individual players. Therefore, perhaps the Olympics should consider trying a format similar to the Hopman Cup or World Team Tennis in which there are men’s and women’s singles, doubles and even mixed doubles matches with players competing solely for their country.
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