AUSTRALIA'S former world No1 Lleyton Hewitt said yesterday that tennis should remain part of the Olympics, but added the competition lacked the "do or die" element present in other sports at the Games.
Tennis has been back in the Olympics since 1988, but a gold medal has yet to earn equal status with a grand slam win and the sport's place in the Games has been frequently questioned.
"Tennis should be in the Olympics," Hewitt said, before no
ting the difference with some other sports where the Games marks the pinnacle of achievement.
"We have four major grand slams in a year – for other athletes here it is almost do or die. We will give it all we have got but in two weeks time there is the U.S Open," said the 27-year-old.
Hewitt's team-mate Alicia Molik, a bronze medal winner in Athens who is taking part in her third games, disagreed.
"The medal was the biggest highlight of my career and I feel a bit of a veteran here. We play as individuals most of the year and so it is a huge highlight to be in a team and feel that team spirit," she said.
Hewitt's hip injury had made him doubtful for Beijing and he said that he had feared he would miss out. "After Wimbledon, I didn't give myself a lot of chance of playing here or at the US Open," he said.
"I had a week and a half of hitting in Sydney and took it day to day – I wasn't going to commit until I was sure that it wouldn't flare up," added Hewitt, who is not among the 16 seeded players.
The full article contains 288 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
