Spain boasts strongest team in Olympic tennis event, says Robredo
5/8/2008 17:00
Spain has the strongest tennis team in the Beijing Olympic Games and will
do their best to fight for national glory, said Tommy Robredo in Beijing
today.
The 26-year-old Spaniard, who came into Chinese capital with
compatriot and the would-be world number one Rafael Nadal yesterday, spent one
hour or so training with Chile's world number 15 Fernando Gonzalez amid the heat
in the Olympic Green Tennis Center this morning.
"The men's field is really
tough, and all top five players came to compete in the event, but we do have a
good chance to win more medals," Robrdo said at the courtside after finishing
the training session.
The Spanish tennis team has always been a strong
contender in previous Games and registered six silver and three bronze medals in
history, but they never came closer.
The latest silver was claimed in the
Athens Games four years ago when the women's doubles players Conchita Martinez
and Virginia Ruano Pascual lost to China's Li Ting and Sun Tiantian in the
final.
In men's singles, Sergi Bruguera won the latest silver medal in
Atlanta 1996 when he lost to home-favored Andre Agassi, who completed the Golden
Slam.
"At Beijing we have a really good team, probably the strongest team of
all, we have Rafa and David, I think we can play better than before," added
Robredo, who is underporforming this season, having seen his rankings drop from
around ten early this year to the current world number 22.
Spain boasts an
all-star men's squad and claimed all four entries in singles' draw, with Nadal
and David Ferrer (5th) coming from the top five. 14th-ranked Nicolas Almagro and
Robredo are expected to fuel more medal drive.
"I have been to Beijing
before, it's been good memory and helped me get used to the context easily. As
for the venue here, I think it's been fantastic so far, but the weather might be
a problem as it is too hot. The competition will be tough under such weather
condition, but it is fair for everybody, I will try to fight for every match,"
said the former top five player.
Except Swiss mogul Roger Federer, the main
challenge for the Spanish quartet will also come from the Russians and
Argentines who both filled four slots in the men's draw. The Russians will be
headed by world number four Nikolay Davydenko while the Argentine contingent is
led by David Nalbandian.
Xinhua
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