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Countdown to Beijing '08 - Tennis outlook
// USOC Media Services // October 16, 2006
Outlook
The U.S. Olympic tennis team looks to continue its success at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing after a modest showing in Athens.
The United States has won nine of the 20 gold medals awarded in tennis since the 1988 Seoul Games, but the 2004 Olympic Games was the only time since tennis returned as a full medal sport that the United States failed to win at least one gold medal. Mardy Fish (Tampa, Fla.) collected the only medal (silver, men’s singles), marking the first time that the U.S. tennis teams earned less than three medals in a single Olympic Games.
While the official selection criteria for the 2008 Olympic Games has not been determined, selection to the Olympic tennis teams typically includes world rankings and whether a player has made him/herself available to participate in the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF’s) international team events – Davis Cup, Fed Cup and Hopman Cup – during the current Olympiad.
Taking those criteria into consideration, three Americans could participate in their third Olympic Games in Beijing. Venus Williams (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), who swept the singles and doubles gold medals in 2000 Sydney and attempted to defend both titles in Athens, and Vince Spadea (Boca Raton, Fla.* 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens, men’s singles) could become the first tennis players to represent the United States in three consecutive Olympics, while Lindsay Davenport (Laguna Beach, Calif.) could return for her third Olympic Games, having won the gold medal in singles at 1996 Atlanta and competed in singles at 2000 Sydney.
Other former Olympians among the hopefuls for Beijing include: Bob and Mike Bryan (Camarillo, Calif. * 2004 Athens, men’s doubles), Taylor Dent (Bradenton, Fla. * 2004 Athens, 4th place men’s singles), Fish (2000 Athens, silver medal men’s singles and men’s doubles), Lisa Raymond (Wayne, Pa. * 2004 Athens, women’s singles and doubles), Andy Roddick (Austin, Texas * 2004 Athens, men’s singles and doubles), Chanda Rubin (Lafayette, La. * 2004 Athens, women’s singles and doubles), and Serena Williams (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. * 2000 Sydney, gold medal women’s doubles).
Joining the former Olympians as top prospects to represent the United States in tennis at the 2008 Olympic Games are members of recent U.S. Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams, which are led by 2004 Olympic Games’ tennis coaches Patrick McEnroe and Zina Garrison, respectively. James Blake (Fairfield, Conn./Tampa, Fla.), who just missed being named to the team in 2004, recently became the top-ranked American male and has been a fixture on the Davis Cup team, and Robby Ginepri (Marietta, Ga.), who had a breakthrough season in 2005 highlighted by a run to the semifinals of the US Open.
Top contenders for a spot on the women’s team include Jill Craybas (Huntington Beach, Fla.), a member of the U.S. Fed Cup team since 2004, and five others who have made their Fed Cup debuts in the past two years: Jamea Jackson (Bradenton, Fla.), Vania King (Long Beach, Calif.), Corina Morariu (Boca Raton, Fla.), Shenay Perry (Coral Springs, Fla.) and Mashona Washington (Houston).
Storylines
The USTA recently announced a new alliance with the Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Fla., to provide year-round housing for top junior players for the first time, launching a new era in the program’s mission to develop the next generation of American tennis champions.
Working with the USTA, the Evert Academy will construct a new on-site facility that will serve as the national headquarters for USTA Player Development. The USTA is expected to move its national headquarters from Key Biscayne, Fla., to the Evert Tennis Academy by September 2007.
As part of the new arrangement, the USTA will for the first time offer player housing for promising young players aged 14-18. Plans for the facility call for a three-level building that will include dorm-style living arrangements, a state-of-the-art fitness center, classrooms, offices and a conference facility. The new player housing program is designed to serve as an adjunct to private coaching for players who meet certain criteria. Those players housed on-site will have access to a variety of different schooling options, including nearby public and private schools. The players in the USTA housing program will also be provided with food service and a nutrition program developed by USTA staff.
The USTA will continue to support players currently working with private coaches or academies through other components of the Player Development program, including wild cards, grants and camps.
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