Olympic Tennis 7/28-8/5/2012

[TalkAboutTennis]

PRESS RELEASE
4 July 2012


Tennis players name sporting heroes in ITF Olympic Book

The International Tennis Federation today announced the publication of its official Olympic Book Aspire, Inspire: Celebrating Tennis at the Olympics 2012. Thirty-six of the world’s leading tennis players took part in the ITF project to help promote the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Tennis Events.

This year’s 140-page publication features a series of specially commissioned photographs of the game’s top names posing with pictures of themselves as a child and talking about their sporting heroes. The book looks at which athletes inspired them when they were younger and even includes good luck messages from Olympic legends such as Usain Bolt, Sergey Bubka and Cathy Freeman.

Among the stars represented in the book are Beijing bronze medallist Novak Djokovic, who nominated Italian skier Alberto Tomba as his hero; Britain’s Andy Murray, who picked US track and field star Michael Johnson; Olympic champion Rafael Nadal, who talks about his memories of the Barcelona 1992 Olympics; Victoria Azarenka, who selected pole vaulter Bubka; and wheelchair tennis legend Esther Vergeer, who talks about Dutch swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband.

Several players have nominated other tennis stars as their heroes, including Olympic doubles champion Roger Federer, who chose the 1992 Barcelona champion Marc Rosset as his hero, while Federer himself was selected by Japan’s Kei Nishikori; and Beijing bronze medallist Vera Zvonereva, who picked 2000 Sydney champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

Newcomers to the Olympic Tennis Event such as Kim Clijsters, Juan Martin del Potro and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also share their childhood memories, inspiration and ambitions for this summer’s Games.

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “I believe this book shows the impact the Olympics has had on the lives of the current generation of tennis players, and how proud they are to represent their countries in the Olympic and Paralympic Tennis Events. The book also highlights the mutual respect between tennis players and athletes from other sports, with the Games providing a unique opportunity for all athletes to come together.”

Aspire, Inspire follows in the footsteps of the highly successful ITF publication Journey to Beijing that was produced for the last Olympic Games in China.

The 2012 Olympic Tennis Event will be held at the All England Club, Wimbledon from 28 July until 5 August, while the 2012 Paralympic Tennis Event will be held at Eton Manor on 1-8 September.

A list of the sporting heroes chosen by each tennis player is overleaf.

-ENDS-

Tennis players and their sporting heroes

Men

Tomas Berdych Czech men’s ice hockey team (ice hockey)
Bob and Mike Bryan The Dream Team (1992 US men’s basketball team)
Marin Cilic Goran Ivanisevic (tennis)
Juan Martin del Potro Javier Sotomayor (high jump)
Novak Djokovic Alberto Tomba (skiing)
Roger Federer Marc Rosset (tennis)
David Ferrer Jordi Arrese (tennis)
Mardy Fish Dan O’Brien and Dave Johnson (decathlon)
Jurgen Melzer Carl Lewis (athletics)
Max Mirnyi Vladimir Salnikov (swimming)
Juan Monaco Manu Ginobili (basketball)
Gael Monfils Michael Johnson (athletics)
Andy Murray Michael Johnson (athletics)
Rafael Nadal Spanish Olympic Team at 1992 Barcelona
Kei Nishikori Roger Federer (tennis)
Milos Raonic Pete Sampras (tennis)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Michael Johnson (athletics)
Stanislas Wawrinka Kobe Bryant (basketball)

Women

Victoria Azarenka Sergey Bubka (pole vault)
Dominika Cibulkova Slovak men’s ice hockey team (ice hockey)
Kim Clijsters Tia Hellebaut (high jump)
Gisela Dulko Argentine women’s hockey team (hockey)
Petra Kvitova Michael Phelps (swimming)
Bethanie Mattek-Sands Shannon Miller (gymnastics)
Shahar Peer Gal Fridman (windsurfing)
Andrea Petkovic Bode Miller (skiing)
Agnieszka Radwanska Michael Phelps (swimming)
Francesca Schiavone Usain Bolt (athletics)
Peng Shuai Li Ning (gymnastics)
Samantha Stosur Cathy Freeman (athletics)
Caroline Wozniacki Michael Phelps (swimming)
Vera Zvonareva Yevgeny Kafelnikov (tennis)

Paralympians

Shingo Kunieda Ryoko Tani (judo)
Maikel Scheffers Maarten van der Weijden (swimming)
Esther Vergeer Pieter van den Hoogenband (swimming)

[Drop-shot]

Wow, some of them are so alike (Kim, Vera, Aggia, Kvitova, Melzer)

[Edmond Dantès]

The Olympics photo book of this year's players is out, and the images I've seen so far are brilliant -- the art directors did a really good job of conveying personalities. Plus it shows the players with pictures of themselves as children, and they were asked which athletes they idolized as children (not tropes that usually grab me, but again, exceptionally well done here).

A good selection here (includes Vergeer and Mirnyi/Azarenka as well as many of the usual top 40 atp/wta suspects):

http://www.fuebuena.com.ar/?p=18135

Nice work

[omess]

PRESS RELEASE
4 July 2012


Tennis players name sporting heroes in ITF Olympic Book

The International Tennis Federation today announced the publication of its official Olympic Book Aspire, Inspire: Celebrating Tennis at the Olympics 2012. Thirty-six of the world’s leading tennis players took part in the ITF project to help promote the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Tennis Events.

This year’s 140-page publication features a series of specially commissioned photographs of the game’s top names posing with pictures of themselves as a child and talking about their sporting heroes. The book looks at which athletes inspired them when they were younger and even includes good luck messages from Olympic legends such as Usain Bolt, Sergey Bubka and Cathy Freeman.

Among the stars represented in the book are Beijing bronze medallist Novak Djokovic, who nominated Italian skier Alberto Tomba as his hero; Britain’s Andy Murray, who picked US track and field star Michael Johnson; Olympic champion Rafael Nadal, who talks about his memories of the Barcelona 1992 Olympics; Victoria Azarenka, who selected pole vaulter Bubka; and wheelchair tennis legend Esther Vergeer, who talks about Dutch swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband.

Several players have nominated other tennis stars as their heroes, including Olympic doubles champion Roger Federer, who chose the 1992 Barcelona champion Marc Rosset as his hero, while Federer himself was selected by Japan’s Kei Nishikori; and Beijing bronze medallist Vera Zvonereva, who picked 2000 Sydney champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

Newcomers to the Olympic Tennis Event such as Kim Clijsters, Juan Martin del Potro and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also share their childhood memories, inspiration and ambitions for this summer’s Games.

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “I believe this book shows the impact the Olympics has had on the lives of the current generation of tennis players, and how proud they are to represent their countries in the Olympic and Paralympic Tennis Events. The book also highlights the mutual respect between tennis players and athletes from other sports, with the Games providing a unique opportunity for all athletes to come together.”

Aspire, Inspire follows in the footsteps of the highly successful ITF publication Journey to Beijing that was produced for the last Olympic Games in China.

The 2012 Olympic Tennis Event will be held at the All England Club, Wimbledon from 28 July until 5 August, while the 2012 Paralympic Tennis Event will be held at Eton Manor on 1-8 September.

A list of the sporting heroes chosen by each tennis player is overleaf.

-ENDS-

Tennis players and their sporting heroes

Men

Tomas Berdych Czech men’s ice hockey team (ice hockey)
Bob and Mike Bryan The Dream Team (1992 US men’s basketball team)
Marin Cilic Goran Ivanisevic (tennis)
Juan Martin del Potro Javier Sotomayor (high jump)
Novak Djokovic Alberto Tomba (skiing)
Roger Federer Marc Rosset (tennis)
David Ferrer Jordi Arrese (tennis)
Mardy Fish Dan O’Brien and Dave Johnson (decathlon)
Jurgen Melzer Carl Lewis (athletics)
Max Mirnyi Vladimir Salnikov (swimming)
Juan Monaco Manu Ginobili (basketball)
Gael Monfils Michael Johnson (athletics)
Andy Murray Michael Johnson (athletics)
Rafael Nadal Spanish Olympic Team at 1992 Barcelona
Kei Nishikori Roger Federer (tennis)
Milos Raonic Pete Sampras (tennis)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Michael Johnson (athletics)
Stanislas Wawrinka Kobe Bryant (basketball)

Women

Victoria Azarenka Sergey Bubka (pole vault)
Dominika Cibulkova Slovak men’s ice hockey team (ice hockey)
Kim Clijsters Tia Hellebaut (high jump)
Gisela Dulko Argentine women’s hockey team (hockey)
Petra Kvitova Michael Phelps (swimming)
Bethanie Mattek-Sands Shannon Miller (gymnastics)
Shahar Peer Gal Fridman (windsurfing)
Andrea Petkovic Bode Miller (skiing)
Agnieszka Radwanska Michael Phelps (swimming)
Francesca Schiavone Usain Bolt (athletics)
Peng Shuai Li Ning (gymnastics)
Samantha Stosur Cathy Freeman (athletics)
Caroline Wozniacki Michael Phelps (swimming)
Vera Zvonareva Yevgeny Kafelnikov (tennis)

Paralympians

Shingo Kunieda Ryoko Tani (judo)
Maikel Scheffers Maarten van der Weijden (swimming)
Esther Vergeer Pieter van den Hoogenband (swimming)

LOL Azarenka

[theotherdonald]

Big to the Euro girls choosing MP.

Big 'groan' to the Bryans' choice of those multi-millionnaires who, in Barcelona, made it clear that they represented their shoe sponsor rather than their country.

Mardy's = Awesome pick, despite (or more likely, with Fish's wink wink personality, 'because of') the legendary failure of the rivalry marketing campaign.

[munchin]

Interesting that several women chose men as their sporting heroes but no men chose women (well, except Nadal who basically chose a country). Weird. The first, like, 3 sporting heroes that come to mind for me are women.

[Moose]

I love that Nole chose Tomba. Something to do with coming from a family of skiers?

[suliso]

Interesting that several women chose men as their sporting heroes but no men chose women (well, except Nadal who basically chose a country). Weird. The first, like, 3 sporting heroes that come to mind for me are women.

Who would they be? If I had to name all athletes I know by name (outside tennis) then ca 80% would be men. I don't make any of them into heroes, though.

[omess]

Paszek will play the Olympic

The ITF Board of Directors voted to uphold the appeal of Tennis Austria against the decision of the ITF Olympic Committee that Tamira Paszek (AUT) was not eligible for the Olympic Tennis Event because she had not fulfilled the Fed Cup component of the Olympic Eligibility Rule.
In their appeal, Tennis Austria provided additional documentation to the ITF Board that was not available at the time of the ITF Olympic Committee meeting that confirmed that Ms. Paszek had made herself available in 2010 but had not been selected.
This documentation included affidavits from the Austrian Fed Cup captain Jurgan Waber and additional information about Ms. Paszek’s back injury during the second half of 2009.
Therefore, the Board determined that Ms. Paszek had met the two components of the rule, that she is in good standing with Tennis Austria and had made herself available to compete in two Fed Cup ties in the Olympic cycle including 2010 and 2012 where she competed for Austria in Europe/Africa Zone Group I.
Ms. Paszek replaces Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) who has told Swiss Tennis that she will not compete in the London 2012 Olympic Tennis Event.

[Ti-Amie]

Do you think Marion will get in via this route too?

[munchin]

Who would they be? If I had to name all athletes I know by name (outside tennis) then ca 80% would be men. I don't make any of them into heroes, though.

Why outside of tennis? My sporting heroes are almost exclusively tennis players. BJK, Martina N., Venus, Serena and Amelie all spring instantly to mind.

[munchin]

Why outside of tennis? My sporting heroes are almost exclusively tennis players. BJK, Martina N., Venus, Serena and Amelie all spring instantly to mind.

And Kerri Strug!!!!! Cute, adorable, little Kerri Strug

[omess]

Do you think Marion will get in via this route too?

No because she doesn't have the support of the French Federation/Olympic Committee

[Ti-Amie]

No because she doesn't have the support of the French Federation/Olympic Committee

Just wanted confirmation. One of the French speakers I follow on Twitter was talking about the Marion situation and I said the FFT would rather cut off its nose to spite its face before giving itself a chance to do well at the Olympics. **crickets**.

[Moose]

Has anyone heard any more about the German Federation and Kohli? Word was a couple weeks ago that they would not enter him, because he was not top 25, and had not made the semis(?) of a Slam - and they were giving Haas the bag as well.