Tennis aficionados watch to learn, and with the best in the world gathered at your feet, the '96 Games will give you lots of opportunity.
Watch for some styles to work better than others on this hard surface. It's faster than the clay, but not as fast as the grass the elite are coming off of in Wimbledon. A serve and volley game, like SAMPRAS's will be the most effective. Players will try to hit hard serves and come in behind it. Expect a lot of chipping, slicing, charging and poaching.
Differences in style vary according to a player's home country. It all gets back to the surface. If a player grew up in Argentina or France, he or she is more likely to be most comfortable on clay. Austria and the Asian tour are hard court. Some players will bypass certain surfaces. However, with so many people playing all over the world, the distinction isn't as straight forward as it once was.
Preferences also arise with the doubles/singles dilemma. Unlike standard tournament play, at least one singles player will have to play a doubles game. This will definitely impact team choices. The Olympic Games is more like a Davis Cup or Fed Cup, but the Games will be more set in terms of who plays what. In fact, the Fed Cup semifinals, held the weekend before the Games start, will be a testing ground for women's partners. At the Games, almost everyone will have someone they are not used to playing with next to them.
You'll notice that more women seem to work on their doubles games than the men. Part of it has to do with the difference in rating systems, and part of it is that the men, according to one source, "just don't care." Certain players are better suited for the team approach, though last year proved that facing two top 10 singles players across the net is nothing to sneeze at _ witness the victory of Michael STICH and Boris BECKER (GER) over Wayne FERREIRA and Piet NORVAL (RSA), 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3, in Barcelona and Spanish finalists Conchita MARTINEZ and Arantxa SANCHEZ VICARIO.
Many successful doubles players team up with competitors from different countries to tour, like GRAF and SABATINI, SANCHEZ VICARIO and NOVOTNA. Add to the mix some fresh blood. New to the Games on the women's side are Lindsay DAVENPORT and Monica SELES from the United States, and Iva MAJOLI from Croatia. For the men, it's Andre AGASSI (USA), Thomas ENQVIST (SWE), and Yevgeny KAFELNIKOV (RUS).
Many of the top 10 men's players will not be vying for medals at the Centennial Olympic Games: Thomas MUSTER (AUT), Boris BECKER (GER), Michael CHANG (USA), Jim COURIER (USA), and Richard KRAJICEK (NED). Only American Mary Joe Fernandez, who did not qualify, will be missing from the women's top 10.
Croatia (CRO)
Leftie Goran IVANISEVIC is no newcomer to the Games. He reached the quarterfinals in 1988, and took the bronze in both singles and doubles in 1992, where he became the only open era player ever to win four consecutive five-set matches in a single tournament.
1995 was a bad year for IVANESEVIC. He was on the worst losing streak of his life _ the number four seed at both the French and Australian Opens, he was eliminated in the first round of both, not even winning a set. But with his country's newfound status, national pride may tip the scales in his favor. He has been representing Croatia, not Yugoslavia, since 1991.
IVANISEVIC's trademark is his serve. He served 206 aces at the 1992 Wimbledon, setting a grand Slam record. Despite his bad year, in 1995 he served over 1,000 aces for the third year in a row. With an arm like that, he'll contend hotly again this year.
Great Britain (GBR)
Great Britain may not claim any top 10s this time, but as founder of the game it can still lay claim to capturing the greatest number of Olympic medals of any country in the history of the Games. Tim HENMAN and Greg RUSEDSKI will play for the Queen.
Russian Federation (RUS)
In 1994, a 20-year-old Yevgeny KAFELNIKOV set his goal to make it into the top 50 in the rankings. A few months later, he was number 11. A year later, he'd hit number four. While he doesn't have years of elite-level experience under his belt like some of his competition, KAFELNIKOV is no easy win. Teamed with Andrei OLHOVSKIY at the Davis Cup last year, he beat Olympic gold medalists BECKER and STICH, but fell to SAMPRAS and Todd MARTIN in the final.
Unlike most players, KAFELNIKOV has admitted that he doesn't have a favorite surface.
South Africa (RSA)
Tennis is not a sport you often see a lot of former military, but Wayne FERREIRA is the exception. He served in the South African army for two years, and is the first South African to reach a Grand Slam final since Kevin CURREN at the 1984 Wimbledon.
One of the few successful men's doubles players, 1992 brought him more than just his first singles title, it also brought him an Olympic silver medal in doubles, with Piet NORVAL, falling only to the killer team of BECKER and STICH, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3, both of whom decided not to represent Germany in 1996.
FERREIRA will be the first to say he suffers a lot of injuries. He retired in the opening round of the 1994 French Open due to a pulled stomach muscle, injured a thigh when losing to CHANG in the 1992 U.S. Open quarterfinal, and resumed play earlier than advised by doctors after tearing ligaments in his right ankle during a 1991 U.S. Open second rounder against SAMPRAS. Barring injury, FERREIRA will be a tough one to beat.
Sweden (SWE)
Swedes are no strangers to the courts. Watch hopeful Thomas ENQVIST carefully in the first round, where he's liable to get stuck on an off day _ ENQVIST lost in the first round of the French Open three years in a row ('92 - '95), as he did at the '95 Wimbledon. Nevertheless, the newcomer has earned his ranking, and SAMPRAS sees him as someone bound to just keep getting better.
United States (USA)
No two players could have more different _ or more successful _ styles than number one- and two-rated Pete SAMPRAS and Andre AGASSI.
With an understated demeanor uncommon to American tennis champions, SAMPRAS's style is gaining appreciation among fans. Perhaps the most emotional match of his career was as defending champion against Jim COURIER in the quarterfinals of the 1995 Australian Open. Soon after he lost to first-seed rival AGASSI (4-6, 6-1, 7-6, 6-4). In 1994 he set his mind to winning a Grand Slam title and became the second player in the open era to win three consecutive Grand Slam titles (after Rod LAVER in 1969).
A year later, plagued by coach Tim GULLIKSON's battle with brain tumors, a stressed SAMPRAS faced AGASSI in the U.S. Open final winning 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, highlighted by a 22-shot exchange that gave SAMPRAS the first set. "That point was probably the best I've ever been a part of," he commented following the match.
SAMPRAS's game is perfectly suited to a hard court or supreme court surface, so he is well matched to Olympic conditions, though he did not capture a medal in 1992. The French Open remains his biggest obstacle, ending his 25-consecutive-match Grand Slam winning streak in 1994 and sticking him with a first-round upset from Gilbert SCHALLER in 1995.
In 1990, at another hard-court tournament, SAMPRAS became the youngest ever U.S. Open champion at 19 years, 28 days, after serving 100 aces, including 24 against Ivan LENDL and 13 against AGASSI.
No man in tennis has had as many people appraise his appearance as Andre AGASSI. His first Grand Slam title against IVANISEVIC at the 1992 Wimbledon garnered him the honor of being the lowest seeded (at number 12) ever to win the championship and the first American since 1984 winner John MCENROE to hoist the trophy, but AGASSI was most pleased with the validation: "I think people are looking at me as an athlete now, as well as an entertainer."
AGASSI's father is a former Iranian Olympic boxer who nevertheless introduced young Andre to the sport.
Sought-after U.S. player Michael CHANG had announced at press time that he would not represent his country in Atlanta. Fifth-ranked CHANG has always set himself apart from the pack, usually by playing well and often in Asia, where he has won 10 titles. CHANG funnels the energy of the crowds into his game, a characteristic which would have worked to his advantage in Atlanta.
In 1992, Jim COURIER became the first U.S. player to reach the number one spot since John MCENROE accomplished the feat in August 1985, but he, too, will forego the Games this year.
Argentina (ARG)
Known for her beauty and grace on any surface, fans will enjoy watching Argentina's star, Gabriela SABATINI. SABATINI has been ranked the number one player in South America since 1985, though 1995 was the first time she played in her home country of Argentina in eight years.
At the first Grand Slam win of her career in 1990, she knocked out GRAF to become the lowest seed to win the U.S. Open in 22 years. The same year, this 1992 Olympic silver medalist gave Monica SELES a run for her money (6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2) in the first five-set match since Bessie MOORE beat Myrtle MCATEER at the U.S. National Championships in Philadelphia in 1901.
True devotees to the sport will notice her Guillermo VILAS-style backhand. She copied the technique not long after beginning to play the sport at the age of 7.
Australia (AUS)
The Australian women's doubles teams have tied for bronze medals in the past two Olympic Games. Rachel MCQUILLAN and Nicole PROVIS had the honor in Barcelona, Elizabeth SMYLIE and Wendy TURNBULL in Seoul. With MCQUILLAN returning, this tournament will see the Australian team working hard to top that record.
Bulgaria (BUL)
Bulgaria boasts the famous MALEEVA sisters. The youngest and most successful of the MALEEVA sisters (behind Manuela and Katerina), Magdelena will be going it alone at the Games. In 1995 she won three Corel WTA Tour titles in one season for the first time in her career (Chicago, Moscow and Oakland). Together, the sisters have all joined the Million Dollar Club, made up the first Bulgarian Fed Cup Team (captained by their mother in 1989), and made Grand Slam history by all being seeded at the 1993 Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.
Croatia (CRO)
Spectators will want to keep their eye on top 10 newcomer Iva MAJOLI from Zagreb. At age 18, she won her first career Corel WTA Tour title at Zurich last year, passing NOVOTNA and PIERCE. She defeated PIERCE again, along with SABATINI, the following week in her second career title at Filderstadt to enter the top 10. Her first career titles were also back-to-back at 1992 Women's Circuit events in St. Simons and Evansville.
Czech Republic (CZE)
Jana NOVOTNA has had a very successful doubles career (eight Grand Slam titles), boasting partners Arantxa SANCHEZ VICARIO, Larisa NEILAND, compatriot Helena SUKOVA and Gigi FERNANDEZ. She's won or been nominated for the Corel WTA Tour Doubles Team of the Year Award every year since 1989. Now at the Games, these former partners will be her competition. She's proved herself under the same conditions before: in 1988, she and partner Helena SUKOVA brought home the silver. Let's see if this time they will take the gold.
France (FRA)
Mary PIERCE may represent France, but in the true spirit of international peace, she's known for her activism in international causes. In 1995, she donated the racket used to win the Australian Open to help raise funds for victims of the Kobe earthquake. She had just come back from a strained groin in her right leg and a kidney infection, but pushed herself to become the first-ever Frenchwoman to reach an Australian Open final. Seeded fourth, she was one of five winners in the previous 52 Grand Slam events not seeded number one or two, rocketing her ranking to a career-high number three.
Germany (GER)
Germany is lucky to have not only the most successful female player since Martina NAVRATILOVA, Steffi GRAF, but Anke HUBER as well. In fact, they've doubled before, at the French Open in 1992, but neither has an established partner.
As with many of the women players, HUBER came to the game young. In 1991 she became the youngest quarterfinalist at the Australian Open in the open era at 16 years, seven weeks. She made it to the quarterfinals, where she was upset by tournament winner SELES.
It's a common pattern for HUBER _ in 1995 she reached the fourth round of all four Grand Slam events, falling to the eventual winner or finalist each time. At the WTA Tour Championships, she also fell to top-seed GRAF in a five-set final, the first five-set final at the tournament in five years. This could be her chance for personal triumph.
GRAF knows what triumph tastes like. In 1988, she completed a "Golden Grand Slam" by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles capped off with a gold medal at the 1988 Games in Seoul, Korea. She reigned as the number-one ranked player for 186 consecutive weeks, longer than any man or woman in tennis _ three and a half years between August 1987 and March 1991. And she's still on a roll. With her win over Monica SELES in the U.S. Open final last year, she tied Chris EVERT and Martina NAVRATILOVA for third place on the all-time Grand Slam winners list with 18 singles titles. The same event made her the first woman of all time to win each of the four Grand Slam singles titles at least four times.
Japan (JPN)
Japan has taken two silver medals in the history of the Games, but has never had the prominent role of a Germany or United States. Kimiko DATE could change all that. In 1994 she was the first Japanese player ever to be ranked in the top 10. She has less experience than her peers, having reached her first Wimbledon quarterfinal just last year. Amazingly, she is actually left-handed, but was encouraged to play right-handed according to Japanese custom.
Spain (ESP)
Both Spanish stars count among their finest moments times when they equaled or surpassed legend Martina NAVRATILOVA. In February 1995, Arantxa SANCHEZ VICARIO was the first player to be top-ranked in singles and doubles simultaneously since NAVRATILOVA last accomplished the feat in August 1987. Conchita MARTINEZ defeated NAVRATILOVA 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in her first Grand Slam final to become the first Spanish woman to win Wimbledon.
Another first for Spain came from SANCHEZ VICARIO, the first Spanish player, male or female, to hold the number-one world tennis ranking in the open era of tennis.
The two took the silver in Barcelona together, and may be an unbeatable team at the Games _ SANCHEZ VICARIO has five Grand Slam doubles titles under her belt. Gold medalists Mary Joe and Gigi FERNANDEZ had been the rivals to watch for before Mary Joe failed to make the U.S. team. United States (USA)
With four of the top men and three top women, the United States is expected to live up to previous performances and have a good showing in the Games. Though current number-one ranked Monica SELES (tied with Steffi GRAF of Germany) for a time was said to be considering competing for her home country of Yugoslavia, the leftie now lives in Florida and decided to wear the red, white and blue of the U.S. team.
SELES began her career garnering attention as one of the youngest women's players to achieve success in tennis. In 1991 she put an end to GRAF's 186-week streak as the top-ranked player.
Two years later, she attracted a different kind of attention when she was stabbed below her left shoulder blade by a 38-year-old unemployed lathe operate named Guenter PARCHE during a changeover in Hamburg. After a 27.5-month absence, she came back strong to win the 1995 Canadian Open, at the same time setting the record for the least number of games played by the champion (74).
Mary Joe FERNANDEZ shocked tennis followers by not making the U.S. team. A successful doubles player, she took the gold at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona with Gigi FERNANDEZ, defeating Conchita MARTINEZ and Arantxa SANCHEZ VICARIO in the final; and walked away with the bronze in singles. The U.S. team has publicly stated how much she will be missed.
Lindsay DAVENPORT also has a shot at a doubles title. She is the odd one out in a family of volleyball players (DAVENPORT's father, Wink, competed in the 1968 Olympic Games), but there's no question she picked the right sport. DAVENPORT is a strong all-around player, with success in both doubles and singles to her credit. She was the first person to win both the doubles and singles titles at the Corel WTA Tour at Strasbourg in 1995. With all the excitement, she accidentally dropped and shattered the singles trophy during the ceremony, but managed to hold onto the doubles trophy. The victory was one of three doubles finals she collected in 1995 despite a season interrupted with pneumonia, a stress fracture in her left leg and a back injury that occurred during a match in Oakland.
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for
the Olympic Games Sports Publication Department. Written by Jennifer Knight.
| The volunteer staff of the 1996 Olympic Games totaled 50,152. They worked an estimated 850,000 shifts. |