Everybody’s talking sport, but you, your mind has been on holiday since Wimbledon. You haven’t noticed but, just like four years ago, the little yellow ball has again quietly taken its place in the Olympic village....
Everybody’s talking sport, but you, your mind has been on holiday since Wimbledon. You haven’t noticed but, just like four years ago, the little yellow ball has again quietly taken its place in the Olympic village. Players like Arnaud Di Pasquale, Marc Rosset, the Olympic village and almost no media attention. You, you know it's time for Olympic tennis...
...You didn't know it had started already.
…For the first time in four years you think about Arnaud Di Pasquale.
…You know that if China dominates the medals table, it won’t be because of your sport.
…You clearly realize that the Olympic spirit hasn’t affected tennis, but you can't do anything about it.
…Besides, you’ve seen more games at Eastbourne than at the Olympics.
…It’s the only time where you don't have to re-mortgage your house to watch a quarter-final at Wimbledon.
…There’s a tennis competition at Wimbledon but nobody cares. And that is really weird.
…You think that the dream team of ‘92 was nothing compared to Marc Rosset. A guy who won a gold medal while spending his time binge drinking in the Olympic village.
…You think that Roger Federer could win Wimbledon twice in little over a month.
…You wanted to get wasted in the Olympic village but the Olympic courts are always too far. So, like for the whole season, you have a 5 stars hotel and nothing around it.
...But anyway, since you’ve lost in the first round, you can get to party with a Russian weightlifter and a Chinese gymnast.
…You’re going to watch Andy Murray lose in the final, again.
…You’re also going to see weird outfits.
…You gave a medal to Leander Paes.
…You know that the world of sports didn't change much between 1928 and 1980. One more proof that having no tennis at the Olympics was no big deal.
…You turn the TV on, but you see more archery and badminton than tennis.
…You’re not really into football, but you're glad that, just like in your sport, the Olympics pass by completely unnoticed.
…There are some amazing doubles team. We were this close to a Michel Petrucciani/John Isner team.
…You hear more news about the Los Angeles' Farmers Classic and the Washington Open than about the Olympic tournament.
…Gilles Simon couldn't be happier. He gets to play a tournament in two sets, just like the girls.
…You know that, just like Basque pelota, water skiing or fishing, tennis has been a demonstration sport at the Olympics. That was in Mexico City in 1968.
…750 ATP points? That’s so much better than a gold medal.
…You know that the Americans are not only strong at sprinting. Proof, they took advantage of the Olympic tennis tournament to collect 17 gold medals. A record.
…You talk «tables», «seeds» and «smashes» with the table tennis players and badminton players of your delegation.
…You wonder since when are Sharapova and Djokovic "amateurs".
…It feels a bit like it's the BNP Paribas Davis Cup.
Swann Borsellino, with Jérémy Francisco
