After the sacred temple of Wimbledon, Olympic Tennis gets a breath of fresh air in Rio de Janeiro

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After the sacred temple of Wimbledon, Olympic Tennis gets a breath of fresh air in Rio de Janeiro

By Rio 2016 24/06/2013 00H00

In London 2012, the sport was hosted at its most traditional site. In Rio, the constellation of stars will rock Barra Olympic Park

After the sacred temple of Wimbledon, Olympic Tennis gets a breath of fresh air in Rio de Janeiro — Getty Images/Jamie Squire

Tennis lives one of its most unique moments in history. Considered the greatest player of all time and record-holder for Grand Slam titles, Swiss Roger Federer has recently reached 900 wins. In Roland Garros, Spaniard Rafael Nadal has become the Tennis player with most titles in a single Major: eight. Holder of four gold medals at the Olympic Games, US citizen Serena Williams still rules women’s Tennis.

In light of this situation and the beginning of the Wimbledon tournament, 2013 season’s third Grand Slam, rio2016.com website starts publishing another special on a specific sport. After Handball, Golf and Football, it’s time for Tennis to be the subject of exclusive reports. Special articles on the sports-directed Rio 2016™ Games legacy, an exclusive interview with umpire Carlos Bernardes and the thoughts of tomorrow’s and former´s players are all part of this special.

Thoughts such as those of Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten, also known as Guga, who competed in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, when he was eliminated by Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the quarter-finals 6-4 and 7-5.

“My debut in Sydney was a childhood dream that has come true. I remember following the Games since Seoul, when I was eleven years old. In Australia I had the opportunity to turn this wish into reality and be among the best Brazilian athletes and the world’s elite in different sports. Competing in the Olympics is unforgettable, I try to imagine how competing in my home country would be like and to experience what possibly is a Brazilian athlete’s greatest achievement”, Guga said.

There will also be first-hand information on the Olympic Tennis Centre that will be built inside Barra Olympic Park, as well as an article on Wheelchair Tennis including exclusive interviews with Dutch nationals Esther Vergeer, holder of seven gold medals at Paralympic Games (four in singles and three in doubles) and Aniek van Koot, silver in London 2012. In order to gain a more accurate picture of the orange supremacy in this sport, one must remember that last year Dutch women won gold, silver and bronze in simples besides gold and silver in doubles.

Rio2016.com website launches specials on 28 Olympic and Paralympic sports since 2011: Athletics, Basketball, Wheelchair Basketball, Boxing, Boccia, Goalball, Judo, Wrestling, Swimming, Paracanoeing, Modern Pentathlon, Rugby, Taekwondo, Shooting, Triathlon, Sailing, Volleyball and Beach Volleyball.