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One of the worst things an event can be is insignificant, but that's exactly what Olympic tennis was when it returned to the Games in 1988 after a 64-year layoff.
Though stars like Steffi Graf participated, most of her contemporaries stayed at home. Sandwiched between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, the pursuit of gold had little appeal to many of the sport's millionaire athletes, largely because Olympic tennis lacked tradition, and that's something that can't be manufactured.
Times have changed.
Once an afterthought, the Olympics have become the sport's fifth major. Most of the world's top players are competing in Athens and they're glad to be there. The ATP and WTA tours award computer points, much like a regular event, so there's more on the line than medals.
"The Olympics is the biggest sporting event in the world and I wanted a chance to be a part of it," said American Andy Roddick, the world's No. 2-ranked player. "To walk in the Opening Ceremonies, to have that experience to look back on some day. ... As far as I was concerned, there's a week in between here and the U.S. Open. That's enough time."
The Olympics changed the dynamic of the sport. Simply put, the Games have made tennis better because countries that never paid attention to the sport focused on it for the first time and began producing world-class talent.
"These guys have all grown up thinking of tennis as an Olympic sport and I think that's really made a big difference," said U.S. men's coach Patrick McEnroe. "They've all been extremely excited about coming here, about being in the Olympics and I think a lot of them might say that this could be the tournament of the year for them. I don't think there's any doubt that the status of the Olympics amongst the players has gotten bigger and bigger."
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: Remember this name: Scoville Jenkins. The 17-year-old Atlanta native (he turns 18 on Aug. 23) became the first African-American to win the USTA Boys 18s title in the event's 89-year history when he bested Scott Oudsema 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 in front of an overflow crowd of nearly 4,000 at Kalamazoo (Mich.) College's Stowe Stadium on Sunday.
Jenkins lost one set in seven matches, and earned a wild-card entry into the U.S. Open. He turned pro in April, but took advantage of a new rule that allows professionals to compete in USTA National Junior Championships for which they are age eligible. There were four pros in the field. Jenkins has won a grand total of $656 as a pro, but is considered to be a promising talent.
"I'll play anybody (at the U.S. Open)," Jenkins told the Kalamazoo Gazette. "I don't care who. I'm so happy just to be there."
Jessica Kirkland of Dayton, Ohio, was the Girls 18s champ, and she also heads to the U.S. Open. Tampa's Joel Samaha teamed with Brennan Boyajian of Fort Lauderdale to win the Boys 14s title in doubles.
ODDS AND ENDS: Sarasota's Monica Selesis expected to make her return from a foot injury at the U.S. Open. Seles, 30, owns 53 career titles but hasn't played a match since last year's French Open. ... Roddick and Tampa's Mardy Fish, who lost as doubles partners Monday at the Olympics, are 6-3 together in ATP events. ... American Taylor Dent, an Olympian, is joined in Athens by his cousin, U.S. beach volleyball star Misty May. Dent's father, Phil, was an Australian tennis great in the 1970s, reaching the Australian Open singles final in 1974, where he lost to Jimmy Connors. In 1976, he and Billie Jean King won the mixed doubles title at the U.S. Open. ... Identical twins Bob and Mike Bryan are the second set of brothers to represent the United States in Olympic tennis. The first were Arthur and Joseph Wear, who participated at the 1904 Games in St. Louis, and are the great-great uncles of President George W. Bush.