Tennis, Golf & the Olympics

There are still some people who think tennis and golf "don't belong" in the Olympics.  The arguments vary, but the main one is that the Olympics aren't as important as the four Majors.  Tell that to Novak Djokovic and Scottie Scheffler.  Tell them that an Olympic gold medal doesn't mean anything.

As Mike Tirico said at the end of Sunday's prime time Olympic coverage, you'd be forgiven for turning on the TV and thinking it was just a regular sports Sunday instead of the Olympics.  Djokovic was playing Carlos Alcaraz in a tournament final, which has happened so many times before, including a month ago at Wimbledon.  Scheffler, meanwhile, was making a charge on the back nine in the final round to come from way down and win the tournament.  Again, something you'd conceivably see at any golf tournament over the course of the year.  Except this wasn't just any golf tournament.  Or any tennis tournament.

Djokovic has won 24 Grand Slam titles, more than any other man in history.  Yet I've never seen him react after any of those 24 Grand Slam finals the way he did after clinching the Olympic gold.  He was so overcome with emotion that he was literally shaking.  But, yeah, the Olympic gold medal in tennis is meaningless!

Then there's Scheffler.  He's admitted to being a "crier," so it probably shouldn't come as a surprise that he was crying as he embraced his wife and baby son after the final round.  During his interview afterwards, Scheffler revealed that it wasn't the first time he's cried during the Olympics.  He talked about how being at women's gymnastics and hearing the anthem played there also brought him to tears.  Clearly the Olympic gold medal means nothing to him, either.

That argument is obviously ridiculous.  Yes, there are players who opt not to play in the Olympics because they're prioritizing other events.  That's their prerogative.  But why should that make a difference to those who do want to play in the Olympics?  And, frankly, more players choose to play than don't, so it's a moot point anyway.  The quality of the Olympic fields is very strong.

The argument that the Olympics aren't as important as the Grand Slams/Majors doesn't hold much weight, either.  There are four Majors a year.  The Olympics happen once every four years.  That means, you have 16 chances to win a Major for every one chance you have to win an Olympic gold medal.  If you lose the Wimbledon final or lose the Masters in a playoff, you'll get another chance next year.  If you lose at the Olympics, you've gotta wait four years.  That can feel like an eternity.

Golf has only been in the Olympics since 2016.  No one knew quite what to expect heading into that first tournament in Rio, and a lot of golfers decided not to participate (for various reasons).  Those who did play got it.  And they were quick to let their colleagues know when they returned to the PGA Tour.  Justin Rose, who won the gold medal in Rio, talked about the experience of not just representing his country but how cool it was to be part of the larger British team made up of athletes from all sports.  It made everyone who was on the fence want to play in Tokyo.

Tennis has been a part of the Olympics much longer.  It was reintroduced as a medal event in 1988, and Steffi Graf gave Olympic tennis instant credibility by completing the "Golden Slam," winning all four Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympic gold in the same year, truly one of the greatest achievements in tennis history.  Ever since then, an Olympic gold medal in singles has been considered on par with a Grand Slam title.

Olympic gold was the only thing Djokovic was missing.  He's won 24 career Grand Slam titles, yet he wouldn't consider his career complete without Olympic gold.  In 2021, he entered the Olympics with a chance at his own calendar-year "Golden Slam."  He lost in the semis in Tokyo, then fell in the bronze medal match and went home empty-handed.  Djokovic has played in every Olympics since 2008.  His only medal in those four previous trips was a bronze as an Olympic rookie in Beijing.  So, yeah, he wanted it.

How important was that gold medal to Novak Djokovic?  So important that he made it clear his focus this year was the Olympics.  Not winning a 25th Grand Slam to become the all-time leader, male or female.  Winning the Olympic gold.  The Olympics were so important that he withdrew from the French Open mid-tournament to have knee surgery...so that he'd be ready to go for the Olympics.  Finally, on his fifth try, after everything it took this season to get there, he won the Olympic gold for his country that he worked so hard for.  Grand Slams you win for yourself.  Olympic medals you win for your country.  That's a pretty powerful motivation.

With the win, Djokovic became just the fifth player to complete a career "Golden Slam," joining Graf, Andre Agassi, Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal, four other all-time legends.  Roger Federer never did it (his only Olympic gold came in doubles).  So, he's now on the most exclusive of exclusive lists.  Don't think that doesn't mean something.

While golf's Olympic history is obviously much younger, you can bet golfers will be just as eager to earn their version of a Golden Slam.  The LPGA's Majors are kind of confusing because they keep changing how many there are and which tournaments they are, but Inbee Park has already won four different Majors and Olympic gold.  And you can bet that if golf had been in the Olympics when they were in their primes, Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam would've considered an Olympic gold medal to be right up there with their Major titles.

Beyond that, calling yourself an "Olympic gold medalist" resonates far more.  Everyone knows the Olympics.  Even people who aren't sports fans.  Sports fans know what it means to win the Masters or Wimbledon.  People who don't watch sports?  Not so much.  

Another argument against their participation that I've seen might the dumbest.  They shouldn't be Olympians because they're millionaire professionals.  So?  The basketball players are, too.  Should they not play in the Olympics, either?  Besides, what does it tell you that these millionaire professionals who don't "need" the Olympics want to play, even though there's no prize money at stake?  Not everyone gets the opportunity to represent their country.  It's a very powerful thing.

It's only at the Olympics where millionaire basketball players, golfers and tennis players are teammates with anonymous swimmers and rowers and gymnasts.  That's the whole point.  That's part of what makes the experience so special.  The national pride that comes from being a larger Olympic team representing more than just your own sport is something that means so much to these athletes.  Why take it away from them?  Because they have four major championships a year in their sport?  

If anything, the raw emotion shown by Novak Djokovic and Scottie Scheffler when they won Olympic gold is proof that tennis and golf are right where they belong.  Does the Olympics need pro golfers and pro tennis players?  Maybe, maybe not.  Do those athletes need the Olympics?  Depends on who you ask.  But, I think the majority would give you a resounding "Yes."  Novak Djokovic and Scottie Scheffler sure would.  They've both been No. 1 in the world in their respective sport.  Who cares?  Now they can also say they're Olympic gold medalists, which means just as much to them.  If not more.