Top tennis players eager to do well at Beijing

[zatoicchi]

Olympic defeat four years ago reduced Roger Federer to tears.

The world’s No. 1-ranked tennis player wept after he was upset by Tomas Berdych in the second round at the Athens Games, one of only six losses for Federer in 2004.

“He looked totally devastated,” said Chilean Nicolas Massu, who won a gold medal in singles and doubles.

Although most players make Grand Slam tournaments a bigger priority, and Andy Roddick is planning to skip Beijing, Federer’s tears debunked the myth that top men’s players don’t care about the Olympics.

This year, the highest-ranked men—No. 1 Federer, No. 2 Rafael Nadal and No. 3 Novak Djokovic—all are keen to do well in China. Whether they can avoid the upsets that have marked previous Olympic tournaments is another matter.

“I think everybody’s really, really motivated,” Djokovic said. “The Games have the biggest history in sports. I think for every athlete it is a privilege and an honor to participate.”

Top tennis players eager to do well at Beijing - Olympics