By Chris Oddo

Photo Credit: Getty

(July 18, 2012)—During a conference call to promote the Power Shares Series tennis tour this afternoon, American tennis icons Jim Courier, John McEnroe and Andre Agassi touched on a number of topics, but the recurring theme that kept popping up was the excitement surrounding this year’s Olympic Games.

The fact that this year’s event will be played on the storied Wimbledon grass has added a mystique to the oft-overlooked discipline of Olympic tennis, but Andre Agassi believes that interest has grown dramatically in recent years, regardless of venue.

“I certainly think playing at Wimbledon adds a great deal,” said Agassi, who hoisted the gold medal in singles in 1996 for the United States. “I think it’s changed a lot. Since my gold in ’96 I think there were some players that didn’t want to burden their schedule with it, but since then it seems like it’s really grown in its popularity as it relates to what these player’s dreams and objectives are.

“I think a lot of guys now treat it as an opportunity of a lifetime, and the only thing that can make a gold medal better—quite honestly—is to win one on the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon.”

Agassi came from a generation that carefully weighed the options before committing to the Olympics. John McEnroe declined in ’88; Jim Courier participated in ’92 in Barcelona but skipped Atlanta in ’96 because he felt that it was too much to ask from players, while Agassi won his gold medal in a year that Courier and Sampras did not play.

“I attribute my success [in ‘96] to Jim not playing,” said Agassi with a modest laugh. “As well as Pete by the way. We don’t need to put an asterisk by my gold, but if you’re looking for one it’s sitting right there.”

Agassi knows that the culture has changed since then, however. So do McEnroe and Courier.

Olympic tennis is still not quite on par with the Grand Slams, but the status of the Games in the eyes of both the fans and the players has changed dramatically in recent years. John McEnroe credits Agassi’s memorable—and characteristically emotional—gold medal run 1996 as being a major contributing factor to improving the player’s perception of the Olympics as a tennis event.

“The joy that he [Andre] got from winning the Olympics, that turned the perception around of how people viewed the Olympics,” said McEnroe. “I turned down the Olympics in ’88 and I didn’t feel that pros should be in the Olympics. Over the course of time, particularly with Andre, it’s [now] viewed as almost as big as the majors,” said John McEnroe.

Jim Courier agrees that perception has changed, and because the Olympics have gone to best-of-three sets in singles for all matches except the final, the physical burden isn’t as much to bear.  

 “I think they’ve made some good changes for the players,” said Courier. “It used to be best-of-five from first ball in singles and doubles, which was a big ask when you’re playing in hot, humid weather. So they’ve made the right moves to make it palatable for the players.

“I think this generation of players grew up seeing people like Andre lift the gold, and that gave it extra meaning, and it’s something they’ve been dreaming of in a way. Our generation didn’t dream of that opportunity, because it didn’t exist."

When asked to comment on the fact that Pete Sampras’ commented earlier this week that the Olympics might be better served by treating tennis as a team sport, Courier was quick to dispel any notions that a 64-player singles draw isn’t the right way to go.

“I was there with Pete in Barcelona,” said Courier. “Pete had probably the toughest day physically that any player has ever had. He played 10 sets. He lost a five-setter in singles in the day, and we played doubles at night and we lost a five-setter.”

Back, then, tennis was an overlooked venue placed on the outskirts of the grounds, next to archery.  

“Tennis in Barcelona was kind of an afterthought,” says Courier. “There wasn’t much going on, it didn’t have any kind of feel or emotion to it.”

Sampras told The Tennis Space yesterday that he felt like the event was just another singles draw because even though he was representing the U.S., the reality was he’d have to beat his American teammates if he wanted to bring home gold. “I just felt in Barcelona I was separate from Jim, who was also on my team. We did play doubles but when we played singles, it didn’t feel like we were in it together, it just felt like any other event,” Sampras said.

But Courier credits the ITF and Olympic Committee for making changes to help. “They’ve changed the format, fortunately, in the Olympics in several ways,” Courier said, “to try and avoid having players from the same nation potentially going up against each other in the first round, which could have happened back then."

“Fortunately for us it didn’t," said Courier, "but this year, no player in the same country will be in the same quarter of the draw. I think the ITF has learned.  They’ve also taken the format down to best-of-three in the early rounds until the final so it’s manageable. It was not manageable in Barcelona in that heat and humidity.”

As far as prestige, marquee players, and the perfect venue, there isn’t anybody who’d argue with the notion that this year’s Olympics is creating the perfect tennis storm for fans and players alike.

“I think the Olympics is right on par right now with the majors, and because it’s once every four years  it’s a rare occasion,” Courier adds. “Let’s look at Roger Federer – it’s the only thing that he doesn’t have in his career. He’s won a gold in doubles but he hasn’t done it in singles. Not that it’s going to diminish his career if he doesn’t, but imagine what he’s feeling coming into the Olympics at Wimbledon, what excitement he must feel. So I think it’s special for the players in a way that 20, 30 years ago it wasn’t.”