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Tennis Canada nominates olympic representatives for London

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By Melissa Boyd

Tennis Canada has announced the four players nominated for selection to the Canadian Olympic Team for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Daniel Nestor, Vasek Pospisil, Milos Raonic, and Aleksandra Wozniak will represent Canada in London. Raonic and Wozniak will play singles while Nestor and Pospisil will team up for doubles.

Milos Raonic & Daniel Nestor will represent Canada in London

In singles, the Top 56 players in the world as of the June 11 rankings deadline receive direct entry into the tennis event provided they meet all other requirements set out for qualification. Raonic sits at No. 21 in the world while Wozniak’s third round appearance at the French Open lifted her to the exact cut-off point of No. 56. It will be the first Olympic Games for both.
“It’s something I’ve been dreaming since I’m a little girl, and my dream came true today,” Wozniak said. “It’s definitely a different atmosphere than playing in the Grand Slams and on the WTA Tour, something where you’ll be with the best athletes around the world in all different sports”.
For the doubles event, each of the Top 10 players receives direct entry with a compatriot of their choice. As the No. 1 doubles player in the world, Nestor has elected to play with first-time Olympic hopeful Pospisil. The duo holds a 2-0 Davis Cup record, including a pivotal win against Grand Slam champions Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram during Canada’s World Group play-off versus Israel last September.
London will represent the fifth consecutive time Nestor has represented Canada at the Olympic Games. At the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, he won gold with partner Sebastien Lareau marking the first, and only, tennis medal in Canadian history.
“I’m very proud to be in a position where I can represent my country and hopefully bring back another medal,” said Nestor. “It was quite a special feat winning Olympic gold in Sydney in 2000 and with the growth of tennis in our country, we all can have a chance to make Canada proud.”
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) will announce the full official list of entries on June 28 which will include the ITF places in singles and doubles. Additional nominations for players who did not make the rankings cut-off can be submitted to the ITF to be considered for ITF places.
“Congratulations to these four tennis players on joining the 2012 Canadian Olympic Team,” said 2012 Team Chef de Mission Mark Tewksbury. “I know you will give your everything to make Canadian fans proud in London.”

McEnroe To Imus: Querrey To Play Davis Cup vs. Spain

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U.S. Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe, appearing on the “Imus in the Morning” radio program Tuesday morning, announced that 19-year-old Sam Querrey will travel to Spain with the U.S. Davis Cup team and will “make his Davis Cup debut” against Spain in next week’s Davis Cup semifinal in Madrid.
McEnroe said an announcement would be forth-coming from the USTA. Querrey is coming off of a strong showing at the US Open where he reached the fourth round where he gave Spain’s No. 1 Rafael Nadal all sorts of trouble in a 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-3 loss.
Querrey also posted some strong clay court results earlier this year reaching the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo. The relative high altitude of Madrid (2,000-plus feet above sea level) – which provides for faster conditions – should be an asset to Querrey and his booming serve.
If Querrey competes for the U.S., he would be the No. 2 player for the United States and would face Spain’s No. 1 – likely Nadal – in Friday’s opening singles rubber.
The USTA announced last week that the U.S. team would consist of Andy Roddick, James Blake and Bob and Mike Bryan. Official nominations are not due to the International Tennis Federation until today. After official nominations are submitted to the ITF Tuesday, two changes to the team can be implemented before a deadline of one hour before the Thursday draw ceremony on the day before the series begins. Blake has struggled since his fourth-place finish at the Olympic Games, losing to fellow American Mardy Fish in the third round in Flushing.

The Origins Of Olympic Tennis

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Some say that tennis is relatively new sport in the Olympic Games. However, tennis was one of the nine sports on the original Olympic program at the first Modern Olympics in 1896 in Athens, Greece. The first Olympic tennis champion was John Boland, an Irishmen vacationing in Greece at the time of the first Modern Games. He entered into the tennis competition upon the urging of a Greek classmate from Oxford. Boland, who would later found the University of Ireland and serve Britain as a member of Parliament, won the singles competition in an eight-man field and paired with a German, Fritz Traun, to sweep the doubles title.
Tennis was a fixture on the Olympic program through the 1924 Games in Paris. The International Tennis Federation – the international governing body for tennis – and the International Olympic Committee saw differences on the definition of amateurism, and on whether Wimbledon should be played in Olympic years. What resulted was the exclusion of tennis from the Olympic Games as an official medal sport until 1988 in Seoul, South Korea.
Tennis triumphantly returned to the Olympic Games in 1988 in Seoul, becoming the first Olympic sport to allow professionals to compete (Basketball followed suit in 1992). Steffi Graf of West Germany completed the rarest feat in the sport by capping a “Golden Slam” at the Seoul Games, having won all four major titles in professional tennis heading into the 1988 Games.
A compilation of Olympic tennis results and medalists are compiled below…
1896 – ATHENS, GREECE

MEDALISTS
Men’s Singles
GOLD — John Boland (Great Britain)
SILVER — Demis Kastaglis (Greece)
BRONZE — Momcsillo Topavicza (Hungary)
Men’s Doubles
GOLD — John Boland (Great Britain) and Fritz Traun (Germany)
SILVER — Demis Kasdaglis and Demetrious Petrokokkinos (Greece)
BRONZE — Edwin Hack (Australia) and George Robertson (Great Britain)
RESULTS
Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match— John Boland (Great Britain) def. Demis Kastaglis (Greece), 7-5, 6-4, 6-1.
Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match— John Boland (Great Britain) and Fritz Traun (Germany) d. Demis Kasdaglis and Demetrios Petrokokkinos (Greece), 6-2, 6-4.

1900 – PARIS, FRANCE

MEDALISTS
Men’s Singles
GOLD — Laurie Doherty (Great Britain)
SILVER — Harold Mahony (Great Britain)
BRONZE — Reggie Doherty (Great Britain)
A.B.J. Norris (Great Britain)
Men’s Doubles
GOLD — Reggie Doherty and Laurie Doherty (Great Britain)
SILVER — Spalding de Garmendia (United States) and Max Decugis (France)
BRONZE — G. de la Chapelle and Andre Prevost (France)
Harold Mahony and A.B.J. Norris (Great Britain)
Women’s Singles
GOLD — Charlotte Cooper (Great Britain)
SILVER — Helene Prevost (France)
BRONZE — Marion Jones (United States)
Hedwig Rosenbaum (Bohemia)
Mixed Doubles
GOLD — Charlotte Cooper and Reggie Doherty (Great Britain)
SILVER — Helene Prevost (France) and Harold Mahony (Great Britain)
BRONZE — Hedwig Rosenbaum (Bohemia) and Archibald Walden (Great Britain)
Laurie Doherty (Great Britain) and Marion Jones (United States)

RESULTS
Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Laurie Doherty (Great Britain) def. Harold Mahony (Great Britain), 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.
Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match— Reggie Doherty-Laurie Doherty (Great Britain) def. Spalding de Garmendia (United States) and Max Decugis (France), 6-3, 6-3, 7-5
Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Charlotte Cooper (Great Britain) def. Helene Prevost (France), 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.
Mixed Doubles Gold Medal Match — Charlotte Cooper and Reggie Doherty (Great Britain) def. Helene Prevost (France) and Harold Mahony (Great Britain), 6-2, 6-4.
1904 – ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, UNITED STATES

MEDALISTS
Men’s Singles
GOLD — Beals Wright (United States)
SILVER — Robert LeRoy (United States)
BRONZE — Alphonso Bell (United States) and Edgar Leonard (United States)
Men’s Doubles
GOLD — Edgar Leonard and Beals Wright (United States)
SILVER — Alphonso Bell and Robert LeRoy (United States)
BRONZE — Joseph Wear and Allen West (United States)
Clarence Gamble and Arthur Wear (United States)

RESULTS
Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Beals Wright (United States) def. Robert LeRoy (United States) 6-4, 6-4.
Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Edgar Leonard and Beals Wright (United States) def. Alphonso Bell and Robert LeRoy (United States), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
1908 – LONDON, ENGLAND (Outdoor)

MEDALISTS
Men’s Singles
GOLD – Josiah Ritchie(Great Britain)
SILVER – Otto Froitzheim (Germany)
BRONZE – Wilberforce Eaves (Great Britain)
Men’s Doubles
GOLD — George Hillyard and Reggie Doherty (Great Britain)
SILVER — Josiah Richie and James Parke (Great Britain)
BRONZE — Charles Cazalet and Charles Dixon (Great Britain)
Women’s Singles
GOLD — Dorothea Chambers (Great Britain)
SILVER — Penelope Boothby (Great Britain)
BRONZE — Joan Winch (Great Britain)

RESULTS
Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match – Josiah Ritchie (Great Britain) def. Otto Froitzheim (Germany), 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
Men’s Singles Bronze Medal Match – Wilberforce Eaves (Great Britain) def. Ivie John Richardson (South Africa), 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.
Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — George Hillyard and Reggie Doherty (Great Britain) def. Josiah Richie and James Parke (Great Britain) 9-7, 7-5, 9-7.
Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Dorothea Chambers (Great Britain) def. Penelope Boothby (Great Britain), 6-1, 7-5.
1908 – LONDON, ENGLAND — (Indoor)

MEDALISTS
Men’s Singles
GOLD — Arthur Gore (Great Britain)
SILVER — George Caridia (Great Britain)
BRONZE — Josiah Ritchie (Great Britain)
Men’s Doubles
GOLD — Arthur Gore and Herbert Barrett (Great Britain)
SILVER — George Simond and George Caridia (Great Britain)
BRONZE — Wollmar Bostrom and Gunnar Setterwall (Sweden)
Women’s Singles
GOLD — Gwendoline Smith (Great Britain)
SILVER — Angela Greene (Great Britain)
BRONZE — Martha Adlerstraille (Sweden)
RESULTS
Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Arthur Gore (Great Britain) def. George Caridia (Great Britain), 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.
Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Arthur Gore and Herbert Barrett (Great Britain) def. George Simond and George Caridia (Great Britain), 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Gwendoline Smith (Great Britain) def. Angela Greene (Great Britain), 6-2, 4-6, 6-0.
1912 – STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (Outdoor)

MEDALISTS
Men’s Singles
GOLD — Charles Winslow (South Africa)
SILVER — Harold Kitson (South Africa)
BRONZE — Oskar Kreuzer (Germany)
Men’s Doubles
GOLD — Charles Winslow and Harold Kitson (South Africa)
SILVER — Felix Pipes and Arthur Zborzil (Austria)
BRONZE — A. Canet and M. Meny (France)
Women’s Singles
GOLD — Marguerite Broquedis (France)
SILVER — Dora Koring (Germany)
BRONZE — Molla Bjurstedt (Norway)
Mixed Doubles
GOLD — Heinrich Schomburgk and Dora Koring (Germany)
SILVER — Gunnar Setterwall and Sigrid Fick (Sweden)
BRONZE — A. Canet and Marguerite Broquedis (France)

RESULTS
Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Charles Winslow (South Africa) def. Harold Kitson (South Africa), 7-5, 4-6, 10-8, 8-6.
Men’s Singles Bronze Medal Match – Oskar Kreuzer (Germany) def. Ladislav Zemla (BOH), 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Charles Winslow and Harold Kitson (South Africa) def. Felix Pipes and Arthur Zborzil (Austria), 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.
Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Marguerite Broquedis (France) def. Dora Koring (Germany), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Mixed Doubles Gold Medal Match — Dora Koring and Heinrich Schomburgk (Germany) def. Sigrid Fick and Gunnar Setterwall (Sweden), 6-4, 6-0.
1912 – STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (Indoor)

MEDALISTS
Men’s Singles
GOLD — Andre Gobert (France)
SILVER — Charles Dixon (Great Britain)
BRONZE — Anthony Wilding (Australia)
Men’s Doubles
GOLD — Andre Gobert and Maurice Germot (France)
SILVER — Gunnar Setterwall and Carl Kempe (Sweden)
BRONZE — Arthur Beamish and Charles Dixon (Great Britain)
Women’s Singles
GOLD — Edith Hannam (Great Britain)
SILVER — Thora Gerda Sophy Castenschiold (Denmark)
BRONZE — Mabel Parton (Great Britain)
RESULTS
Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Andre Gobert (France) def. Charles Dixon (Great Britain), 8-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Men’s Singles Bronze Medal Match – Anthony Wilding (Australia) def. Gordon Lowe (Great Britain), 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-0
Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match— Andre Gobert and Maurice Germot (France) def. Gunnar Setterwall and Carl Kempe (Sweden), 6-4, 12-14, 6-2, 6-4.
Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Edith Hannam (Great Britain) def. Thora Gerda Sophy Castenschiold (Denmark), 6-4, 6-3.
Mixed Doubles Gold Medal Match — Edith Hannam and Charles Dixon (Great Britain) def. Helen Aitchison and Roper Barrett (Great Britain), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

1920 – ANTWERP, BELGIUM

MEDALISTS
Men’s Singles
GOLD — Louis Raymond (South Africa)
SILVER — Ichiya Kumagae (Japan)
BRONZE — Charles Winslow (South Africa)
Men’s Doubles
GOLD — Noel Turnbull (South Africa) and Max Woosnam (Great Britain)
SILVER — Seiichiro Kashio and Ichiya Kumagae (Japan)
BRONZE — Pierre Albarran and Max Decugis (France)
Women’s Singles
GOLD — Suzanne Lenglen (France)
SILVER — Dorothy Holman (Great Britain)
BRONZE — Kitty McKane (Great Britain)
Women’s Doubles
GOLD — Kitty McKane and Winifred McNair (Great Britain)
SILVER — Geraldine Beamish and Dorothy Holman (Great Britain)
BRONZE — Elizabeth D’Ayen and Suzanne Lenglen (France)
Mixed Doubles
GOLD — Suzanne Lenglen and Max Decugis (France)
SILVER — Kitty McKane and Max Woosnam (Great Britain)
BRONZE — Milade Skrbkova and Razny Zemie (Czechoslovakia)

RESULTS
Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match— Louis Raymond (South Africa) def. Ichiya Kumagae (Japan), 5-7, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.
Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Noel Turnbull (South Africa) and Max Woosnam (Great Britain), def. Seiichiro Kashio and Ichiya Kumagae (Japan), 6-2, 7-5, 7-5.
Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Suzanne Lenglen (France) def. Dorothy Holman (Great Britain), 6-3, 6-0.
Women’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Kitty McKane and Winifred McNair (Great Britain) def. Geraldine Beamish and Dorothy Holman (Great Britain), 8-6, 6-4.
Mixed Doubles Gold Medal Match — Suzanne Lenglen and Max Decugis (France) def. Kitty McKane and Max Woosnam (Great Britain), 6-4, 6-2.
1924 – PARIS, FRANCE

MEDALISTS
Men’s Singles
GOLD –Vincent Richards (United States)
SILVER — Henri Cochet (France)
BRONZE — Umberto Luigi de Morpurgo (Italy)
Men’s Doubles
GOLD — Vincent Richards and Frank Hunter (United States)
SILVER — Jacques Brugnon and Henri Cochet (France)
BRONZE — Jean Borotra and Rene Lacoste (France)
Women’s Singles
GOLD — Helen Wills (United States)
SILVER — Didi Vlastro (France)
BRONZE — Kitty McKane (Great Britain)
Women’s Doubles
GOLD — Helen Wills and Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman (United States)
SILVER — Kitty McKane and Dorothy Covell (Great Britain)
BRONZE — Evelyn Colyer and Dorothy Shepherd Barron (Great Britain)
Mixed Doubles
GOLD — Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman and R. Norris Williams (United States)
SILVER — Marion Jessup and Vincent Richards (United States)
BRONZE — Hendrik Timmer and Cornelia Bouman (Netherlands)

RESULTS
Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Vincent Richards (United States) def. Henri Cochet (France), 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 5-7, 6-2.
Men’s Singles Bronze Medal Match – Umberto Luigi de Morpurgo (Italy) def. Jean Borotra (France), 1-6, 6-1, 8-6, 4-6, 7-5
Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Vincent Richards and Frank Hunter (United States) def. Jacques Brugnon and Henri Cochet (France), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.
Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match— Helen Wills (United States) def. Didi Vlastro (France), 6-2, 6-2.
Women’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Helen Wills and Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman (United States) def. Kitty McKane and Dorothy Covell (Great Britain), 7-5, 8-6.
Mixed Doubles Gold Medal Match — Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman and R. Norris Williams (United States) def. Marion Jessup and Vincent Richards (United States), 6-2, 6-3.
1988 – SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

MEDALISTS
Men’s Singles
GOLD — Miloslav Mecir (Czechoslovakia)
SILVER — Tim Mayotte (United States)
BRONZE — Stefan Edberg (Sweden)
Brad Gilbert (United States)
Men’s Doubles
GOLD — Ken Flach and Robert Seguso (United States)
SILVER –Sergio Casal and Emilio Sanchez (Spain)
BRONZE — Stefan Edberg and Anders Jarryd (Sweden)
Miloslav Mecir and Milan Srejber (Czechoslovakia)
Women’s Singles
GOLD — Steffi Graf (West Germany)
SILVER — Gabriela Sabatini (Argentina)
BRONZE — Zina Garrison (United States)
Manuela Maleeva (Bulgaria)
Women’s Doubles
GOLD — Zina Garrison and Pam Shriver (United States)
SILVER — Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova (Czechoslovakia)
BRONZE — Liz Smylie and Wendy Turnbull (Australia)
Steffi Graf and Claudia Kohde Kilsch (Germany)

RESULTS
Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Miloslav Mecir (Czechoslovakia) def. Tim Mayotte (United States), 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Ken Flach and Robert Seguso (United States) def. Sergio Casal and Emilio Sanchez (Spain), 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (1-7), 9-7.
Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Steffi Graf (West Germany) def. Gabriela Sabatini (Argentina), 6-3, 6-3.
Women’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Zina Garrison and Pam Shriver (United States) def. Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova (Czechoslovakia), 4-6, 6-2, 10-8.
1992 – BARCELONA, SPAIN

MEDALISTS
Men’s Singles
GOLD — Marc Rosset (Switzerland)
SILVER — Jordi Arrese (Spain)
BRONZE — Goran Ivanisevic (Croatia)
Andrei Cherkasov (CIS)
Men’s Doubles
GOLD — Boris Becker and Michael Stich (Germany)
SILVER — Wayne Ferreira and Piet Norval (South Africa)
BRONZE — Goran Ivanisevic and Goran Prpic (Croatia)
Javier Frana and Christian Miniussi (Argentina)
Women’s Singles
GOLD — Jennifer Capriati (United States)
SILVER — Steffi Graf (Germany)
BRONZE — Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spain)
Mary Joe Fernandez (United States)
Women’s Doubles
GOLD — Mary Joe Fernandez and Gigi Fernandez (United States)
SILVER — Conchita Martinez and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spain)
BRONZE — Natasha Zvereva and Leila Meshki (CIS)
Rachael McQuillan and Nicole Provis (Australia)

RESULTS
Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Marc Rosset (Switzerland) def. Jordi Arrese (Spain), 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 8-6.
Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Boris Becker and Michael Stich (Germany) def. Wayne Ferreira and Piet Norval (South Africa), 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match — Jennifer Capriati (United States) def. Steffi Graf (Germany),  3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Women’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Mary Joe Fernandez and Gigi Fernandez (United States) def. Conchita Martinez and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spain), 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.
1996 – ATLANTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES

MEDALISTS
Men’s Singles
GOLD — Andre Agassi (United States)
SILVER – Sergi Bruguera (Spain)
BRONZE – Leander Paes (India)
Men’s Doubles
GOLD – Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge (Australia)
SILVER – Tim Henman and Neil Broad (Great Britain)
BRONZE – Marc-Kevin Goellner and David Prinosil (Germany)
Women’s Singles
GOLD — Lindsay Davenport (United States)
SILVER – Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spain)
BRONZE – Jana Novotna (Czech Republic)
Women’s Doubles
GOLD — Mary Joe Fernandez and Gigi Fernandez (United States)
SILVER – Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova (Czech Republic)
BRONZE – Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez (Spain)
RESULTS
Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match – Andre Agassi (United States) def. Sergi Bruguera (Spain), 6-2, 6-3, 6-1.
Men’s Singles Bronze Medal Match – Leander Paes (India) def. Fernando Meligeni (Brazil), 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match – Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge (Australia) def. Tim Henman and Neil Broad (Great Britain) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
Men’s Doubles Bronze Medal Match – Marc-Kevin Goellner and David Prinosil (Germany) def. Paul Haarhuis and Jacco Eltingh (Netherlands), 6-2, 7-5
Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match – Lindsay Davenport (United States) def. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spain), 7-6 (6), 6-2.
Women’s Singles Bronze Medal Match – Jana Novotna (Czech Republic) def. Mary Joe Fernandez (United States), 7-6 (8), 6-4
Women’s Doubles Gold Medal Match — Mary Joe Fernandez and Gigi Fernandez (United States) def. Jana Novona and Helena Sukova (Czech Republic), 7-6 (6), 6-4.
Women’s Doubles Bronze Medal Match – Conchita Martinez and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spain) def. Manon Bollegraf and Brenda Schultz-McCarthy (Netherlands), 6-1, 6-3
2000 – SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

MEDALISTS
Men’s Singles
GOLD – Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Russia)
SILVER – Tommy Haas (Germany)
BRONZE – Arnaud DiPasquale (France)
Men’s Doubles
GOLD – Sebastien Lareau and Daniel Nestor (Canada)
SILVER – Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge (Australia)
BRONZE – Alex Corretja and Albert Costa (Spain)

Women’s Singles
GOLD — Venus Williams (United States)
SILVER – Elena Dementieva (Russia)
BRONZE – Monica Seles (United States)
Women’s Doubles
GOLD – Venus Williams and Serena Williams (United States)
SILVER – Miriam Oremans and Kristie Boogert (Netherlands)
BRONZE – Els Callens and Dominique Van Roost (Belgium)
RESULTS
Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match – Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Russia) def. Tommy Haas (Germany), 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Men’s Singles Bronze Medal Match – Arnaud DiPasquale (France) def. Roger Federer (Switzerland), 7-6 (5), 6-7 (7), 6-3
Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match – Daniel Nestor and Sebastien Lareau (Canada) def. Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge (Australia) 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (2)
Men’s Doubles Bronze Medal Match – Alex Corretja and Albert Costa (Spain), def. David Adams and John-Laffnie de Jager (South Africa), 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match – Venus Williams (United States) def. Elena Dementieva (Russia), 6-2, 6-4
Women’s Singles Bronze Medal Match – Monica Seles (United States) def. Jelena Dokic (Australia), 6-1, 6-4
Women’s Doubles Gold Medal Match – Venus Williams and Serena Williams (United States) def. Miriam Oremans and Kristie Boogert (Netherlands) 6-1, 6-1.
Women’s Doubles Bronze Medal Match – Els Callens and Dominique van Roost (Belgium)def. Natalia Zvereva and Olga Barabanschikova (Belarus), 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
2004 – ATHENS, GREECE

MEDALISTS
Men’s Singles
GOLD – Nicolas Massu (Chile)
SILVER – Mardy Fish (United States)
BRONZE – Fernando Gonzalez (Chile)
Men’s Doubles
GOLD – Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez (Chile)
SILVER – Nicolas Kiefer and Rainer Schuettler (Germany)
BRONZE – Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic (Croatia)

Women’s Singles
GOLD – Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium)
SILVER – Amelie Mauresmo (France)
BRONZE – Alicia Molik (Australia)
Women’s Doubles
GOLD – Li Ting and Sun Tiantian (China)
SILVER – Virginia Ruano Pascual and Conchita Martinez (Spain)
BRONZE – Paola Suarez and Patricia Tarabini (Argentina)
RESULTS
Men’s Singles Gold Medal Match – Nicolas Massu (Chile) def. Mardy Fish (United States) 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Men’s Singles Bronze Medal Match – Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) def. Taylor Dent (United States), 6-4, 2-6, 16-14
Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match – Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) def. Nicolas Kiefer and Rainer Schuettler (Germany), 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4
Men’s Doubles Bronze Medal Match – Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic (Croatia) def. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi (India), 7-6 (5), 4-6, 16-14
Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match – Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium) def. Amelie Mauresmo (France), 6-3, 6-3
Women’s Singles Bronze Medal Match – Alicia Molik (Australia) def. Anastasia Myskina (Russia), 6-3, 6-4
Women’s Doubles Gold Medal Match – Li Ting and Sun Tiantian (China) def. Virginia Ruano Pascual and Conchita Martinez (Spain), 6-3, 6-3
Women’s Doubles Bronze Medal Match – Paola Suarez and Patricia Tarabini (Argentina) def. Ai Sugiyama and Shinobu Asagoe (Japan), 6-3, 6-3

George Bush’s DAVIS CUP Connection – A Strange Tale From 80 Years Ago

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The United States and France will renew their storied Davis Cup rivalry this week in the quarterfinals in Winston-Salem, N.C. as captain Patrick McEnroe’s U.S. squad – Andy Roddick, James Blake, Bob and Mike Bryan – will look to continue their run towards a second consecutive Davis Cup title against French captain Guy Forget and his nominated team of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet, Paul-Henri Mathieu and Michael Llodra.
Interestingly, this 15th meeting between the two Davis Cup superpowers (series tied 7-7) comes 80 years after one of the most famous and most-politically involved Davis Cup matches in the history of the competition, in which, perhaps appropriately enough, the great, great uncle of President George W. Bush – Joseph Wear – was a central figure.
In the spring of 1928, Wear, a former player who medaled in tennis at the 1904 Olympic Games, was the Davis Cup Committee Chairman for the United States Lawn Tennis Association – now the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA). The United States was, for the first time since 1919, not in possession of the Davis Cup after the four French Musketeers – Rene Lacoste, Henri Cochet, Jacques Brugnon and Jean Borotra – snatched the Cup from Bill Tilden and the U.S. team the previous year in Philadelphia – ending the U.S. record seven-year stranglehold on the Cup.
Wear met with USLTA President Sam Collom and the Davis Cup Selection Committee to decide which Americans would represent the United States in Davis Cup play. The United States were due to meet Italy in the Davis Cup Inter-zone Final in Paris, and presumably, in the Davis Cup Challenge Round against the French in what would be the christening event for its’ new tennis stadium, Stade Roland Garros (now the site of the French Championships). On the agenda of the Davis Cup Selection Committee and the USLTA Executive Committee was whether Tilden, regarded as one of the world’s most famous athletes at the time, had violated his amateur status when he filed newspaper reports from Wimbledon, for which he was paid. Wear, and USLTA President Sam Collom, reviewed the evidence at the USLTA Davis Cup Selection Committee and no suspension or discipline was discussed in depth.
Wear and Collom set sail on July 6 for Paris and the Davis Cup matches on the S.S. France. While on board, radio dispatches were sent to Colom and Wear of the meeting of the USLTA’s Advisory Committee, where charges were, in fact, filed against Tilden for a breach of his amateur status. Collom advised the USLTA’s Advisory Committee that no suspension would be issued until Collom would get to speak to Tilden in person. While Collom and Wear were on board the S.S. France, the USLTA’s Advisory, Davis Cup and Amateur Rule Committee met in New York – minus the USLTA President and Davis Cup Committee Chairman – and voted to suspend Tilden as the playing captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team. The Committees also voted to have Wear replace Tilden as captain of the U.S. team. Under USLTA rules, Collom and Wear were helpless to overrule the committee. Wear, upset at the committee members’ decision, cabled the USLTA in New York and resigned his post as USLTA Davis Cup Committee Chairman upon setting foot back on U.S. soil upon his return from France.
At the draw ceremony to announce the line-ups for the Inter-zone Final between the United States and Italy, Collom announced publicly Tilden’s suspension from the team. Headlines in the world press resulted as Tilden was regarded as one of the world’s most famous sports personalities. The story was particularly sensitive in France, where the French Tennis Federation had invested significant financial resources in the construction of Stade Roland Garros, expecting to reap a financial windfall to help pay for the stadium’s construction with the match-up between the Tilden-lead U.S. team and their “Four Musketeers.” Without Tilden, the French Tennis Federation would not have its’ marquee match-up for the opening of its stadium and would face a severe financial crisis. Fans that already had purchased tickets for a potential U.S. vs. France Challenge Round had already requested refunds upon learning of Tilden’s suspension from the U.S. team.
The French Tennis Federation contacted the French Foreign Ministry to inquire whether the issue of Tilden’s suspension could be turned over to the American Ambassador to France, Myron Herrick. It is believed that Herrick brought the issue as far as the White House, where President Calvin Coolidge endorsed Tilden’s reinstatement. (Coolidge had an interest in the Davis Cup since his Secretary of War from 1923-1925 was none-other than Dwight Davis, the event’s founder). Herrick allowed the USLTA to devise some sort of punishment after the conclusion of the Davis Cup in exchange for re-instatement to the team “in the interest of international good feeling.”
While the diplomatic gears moved in full motion, Wear captained the Tilden-less U.S. team to a 4-1 win over Italy to advance the United States into the Davis Cup Challenge Round against France. Tilden rejoined the U.S. team for the Challenge Round, while Wear remained as U.S. Captain. The French went on to defeat Tilden and the U.S. by a 4-1 margin in front of overflowing and enthusiastic French crowds at Roland Garros.
Wear returned to the U.S. Davis Cup captaincy in 1935, when he steered the United States into the Davis Cup Challenge Round with a 4-1 victory over Germany. The United States would then lose to the Fred Perry-led British team 5-0 at Wimbledon, but Wear did have the opportunity to coach an up-and-coming young red-headed future champion by the name of Don Budge. Wear, in fact, is the only U.S. Davis Cup Captain to captain both Bill Tilden (1928) and Don Budge (1935). The uncle of George W. Bush’s grandmother Dorothy, was himself an accomplished tennis player himself having won a bronze medal in men’s doubles at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, Mo.
“No one in tennis is held in higher regard than the Philadelphian,” wrote Allison Danzig in The New York Times in 1931, who noted that Wear won the 1914 “Racquets” championship with Dwight Davis. (Racquets is a sport similar to court tennis or squash.) “His appointment as Davis Cup chairman in 1928 was hailed as the entry of one of the country’s most representative sportsmen into its lawn tennis councils and was forseen as a guarantee of the maintenance of the association’s international relations upon their high plane of noblesse oblige…From the beginning, he won the confidence of the candidates for the team and became their warm friend, and no one was ever a more welcome or respected figure in an American Davis Cup camp.”
We hope that the drama in this week’s United States vs. France Davis Cup series remains only on the court.