No one knows what the Olympics will bring to the table this season. However, it is difficult to imagine the tennis matchups in Rio delivering moments capable of matching these top 10 occurrences from previous Olympics games, though you can bet on Tennis to try and exceed expectations:
1). Steffi Graf’s 1988 Seoul Games Golden Slam
A teenager from West Germany at the time, Graf had barely recovered from her U.S Open victory. Inspired by other Olympians, though, Graf won the Singles competition, becoming the first Tennis player to achieve the Golden Slam of Scoring four majors and the Olympic Singles title in a single season.
2). Andy Murray’s 2012 Olympic Win
Murray defeated Novak Djokovic and then Roger Federer in the semifinals and gold medal match (respectively) in straight sets, making memories during the 2012 Olympic Games in London in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
3). Roger Federer VS Juan Martin Del Potro
It was hardly surprising that Federer failed to defeat Murray in the 2012 Olympic finals, especially considering his epic bout with del Potro in a match that lasted three hours of intense play. This was the longest Men’s three-set match of the Open era.
4). The Serena Williams/Maria Sharapova Final
Serena Williams didn’t simply beat Sharapova. She dominated her in the final of the 2012 London Olympics. Sharapova’s silver medal was no consolation for her one-sided match against the clearly superior Serena, who was determined to complete a career Golden Slam.
5). Nicolas Massu’s Double Gold Win
Massu had to contend with sleep deprivation to win two gold medals at the 2004 Athens games, finishing his match alongside Fernando Gonzalez in the doubles so late that he fell asleep after 4:00 a.m.
A few hours later, he played against the United States’ Mardy Fish, somehow coming out of the match victorious. To Massu, these were the two best days of his life.
6). James Blake’s Fury at Fernando Gonzalez
When Blake’s shot supposedly brushed Gonzalez’ racket before being called out, he thought Gonzalez should have admitted it. Gonzalez stayed quiet, and sufficing to say, Gonzalez’s victory didn’t go down well with Blake, whose fury was palpable.
7). Andre Agassi Swearing
Andre Agassi’s victory run to the Olympic gold medal is remembered, not for the touching moment when two generations of Agassi family Olympians embraced on the court, but the Course language Andre unleashed during his match against Wayne Ferreira.
Ferreira thought Andre deserved a harsher punishment than the penalty point he received for swearing and cussing.
8). Jamie Murray Runs from the Court
Following a disappointing performance by Jamie Murray and his brother Andy during the 2008 Beijing Games, Jamie bolted from the court at such a speed that he left his racket and bag behind. Andy was already reeling from a loss in the first round of the singles.
9). Roger Federer and Mira Vavrinec
Federer and his future wife met at the 2000 Olympic Games, Federer kissing her for the first time at the games. They married nine years after and currently have two children.
10). Rafael Nadal’s Washing Foibles
People are still recounting the story Bradley Wiggins (a British Cyclist) told when he met Nadal in the Athletes’ village in Beijing and grew concerned about the way he was mixing his whites and colors.
Nadal won the singles gold medal during those games.
