The United States is sending an especially strong women's tennis team to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, including former Olympic medalists Venus and Serena Williams and Lindsay Davenport. On the men's side, James Blake holds the highest singles ranking among the participating Americans. Arguably, the US players will have a bit of a home court advantage, despite being halfway around the globe, because the courts in Beijing have the same surface as those at the US Open, and hard courts in general are the dominant surface in the States.
1. Serena Williams
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Serena owns seven major titles, including three US Opens and one Australian, proving her comfort with hard courts. When Williams is playing her best tennis, almost no one can keep up with her, and she won't be daunted by the occasion. Serena already owns an Olympic gold medal in doubles from the 2000 games, where she paired with sister Venus.
2. Venus Williams
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Venus is most at home on grass, as evidenced by her four Wimbledon titles out of six majors overall. With the fastest serve and the best combination of reach and speed in women's tennis, Venus is always a dangerous opponent, and she's used to competing at the Olympics, having won gold medals in 2000 both in singles and in doubles with sister Serena.
3. James Blake
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James can be brilliant at times, but he hasn't yet sustained his best tennis throughout one of the majors. His best results in a major have come on the US Open's hard courts, where he made the quarterfinals in 2005 and 2006. With Andy Roddick choosing not to compete, James is the USA's best hope for a men's singles medal.
4. Lindsay Davenport
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Lindsay's best major has been the US Open, where she claimed her only major title (2000) and was runner-up twice (2002 and 2003). At age 32 and having won singles gold in 1996, Davenport will have the advantage of experience, and she should be comfortable on Beijing's hard courts.
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Olympic Tennis Central
Medal Predictions
Top Contenders
Olympic Tennis Central
