"I'll play mixed for sure. I'd definitely play if Laura's up for it. I like mixed doubles. I don't think it should be at every tournament but at the major tournaments it's a good thing. It's at the Olympics, so I'd go for it."
I know it's over a year away, but I'm already so excited for the tennis at the 2012 London Olympics. Consider me one of those people who consider the Olympics a really really big deal. I can probably chalk that up to the fact that I was an athlete in high school and the main sports I played (volleyball and softball) didn't have professional leagues. As most female athletes know, the end all be all is the Olympic games. So I put them on a bit of a pedestal.
But tennis in London for the Olympics? This could either be crazy awesome or a complete clusterfuck. As most know, the tennis event will be held at the AELTC less than a month after Wimbledon. I mean, first of all, how the hell are they going to get the grounds ready, right? I've heard that they intend to grow the grass alongside the WImbledon grass and then basically re-sod the active courts for the Olympics. That sounds...interesting. But perhaps the craziest thing that I've heard is that the grounds will be completely made over into "Olympic Themed" grounds. Imagine Centre Court with completely different signage, no purple and green colorways, corporate branding, etc. Did I just blow your mind? It could, and probably should, happen. I mean, it would be weird if the grounds basically *looked* like Wimbledon.
Here's a quick summary of the news out this week regarding the London Olympics. First off, for those who are lucky enough to entertain the possibility of attending, here's the match schedule. Second, the ITF and WTA have come to an agreement regarding point distribution for the event. For whatever reason this was a big deal this week, the argument being that it ensures a full field because the players are now properly incetivized. But hasn't tennis at the Olympics finally reached that stage of being a prestigious event in and of itself? I honestly don't think any players were sitting on the fence debating whether they'd try to be there based on points.
Anyway, I'm stoked. To me there is no greater honor than playing with that flag on your sleeve.
(Pic: Getty)
