The legend of international tennis, the Olympic and Paralympic medalists share their memories in ITF Olympic Book which was published today, as per the ITF Press Release. The Book “My Life, My Medal” is an ITF support to Rio Olympics Summer Games which has participation from one hundred and eighteen Olympic and Paralympic Tennis medalists.
The book, which is published just a month before the Rio 2016 Summer Games, in a bid to support the tennis event at the Games, goes back to the history of association of Tennis with Olympic Games.
It not only goes back to the Seoul Olympics Summer Games in 1988, when Tennis returned to Olympics as a full-medal sport, but the 224 page publication also talks about the first Paralympic Tennis event held at 1992 Barcelona Olympics Summer Games.
The book takes a look at the medalists from Seoul through London 2012, who share their stories of how the Olympics and Paralympics affected their lives. The book also shows the Olympians as they are today with original photography by 36 international photographers.
One of the greatest publishes in the Tennis history, “My Life, My Medal” starts with all-time great Stefanie Graf, of Germany, who won singles gold at Seoul 1988 to crown a memorable year that saw her achieve the Grand Slam. Not left out are some of the game’s biggest stars of the last 30 years, including Andre Agassi (USA), Boris Becker (GER), Lindsay Davenport (USA), Novak Djokovic (SRB), Roger Federer (SUI), Justine Henin (BEL), Andy Murray (GBR), Rafael Nadal (ESP), Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (ESP), Monica Seles (USA), and Serena and Venus Williams (USA). The publication also includes renowned Paralympic Tennis icons like Four-time singles gold medalist Esther Vergeer (NED), Shingo Kunieda (JPN), Peter Norfolk (GBR) and founder of wheelchair tennis Brad Parks (USA).
ITF President David Haggerty said: “My Life, My Medal was inspired by American Tim Mayotte, who won a silver medal in Seoul, and who lists ‘Olympic medalist’ as his top achievement on his Twitter page 28 years later.”
Further he spoke, “This made us want to know how other tennis Olympians and Paralympians viewed their achievement. This book allows you to read in their own words how important the Olympics have been, and continue to be, in their lives.”
Speaking about the return of Tennis to the highest honors, Olympics, Haggerty added: “Tennis’s return to the Olympics was an important milestone in the history of our sport. The Olympic effect has seen the number of ITF member nations increase from 147 in 1988 to a record 211 nations today. This has increased the number of nations competing at the highest level by about 40 percent.”
The book “My Life, My Medal” follows in the footsteps of the highly successful ITF publications, Aspire, Inspire and Journey to Beijing, produced for the last two Olympic Tennis Events.
At the Rio 2016 Summer Games, the Tennis event will be held at the Olympic Tennis Centre in Barra Olympic Park on 6-14 August, while the 2016 Paralympic Tennis Event will be held at the same venue on 9-16 September.