Tennis or patriotism? Roddick's golden dilemma rouses debate

Former world number one Andy Roddick has revealed that he would take winning a Grand Slam over winning an Olympic gold medal. The withdrawal of a few tennis stars this year has sparked a debate about whether athletes are actually interested in representing their country at mega-events such as the Paris Olympics.

Few athletes decided to withdraw from the competition as they decided to play in WTA and ATP events happening at the same time, citing rating points as a primary reason. Roddick, who represented Team USA in the 2004 Olympics, also weighed in on the debate. The 41-year-old, in his podcast on YouTube, stated that it will always come down to personal choices. Roddick was of the opinion that for him, in his personal capacity, winning a Grand Slam such as Wimbledon will remain a far greater achievement than winning an Olympic gold for his country.

“I think it's each individual [choice],” he said. “I think if you ask people is this [as] important as a [Grand] slam, and I certainly felt this pressure in 2004 [when I was asked] do you value this, eight years later I'm like no. I would have definitely taken a Wimbledon title instead of that. 100 percent, no chance like it's not even worth a conversation. If you put me in this seat right now and you give me, hey you could have an Olympic gold medal or you could have a Wimbledon title, it's not even up for discussion to me. The point is it's different for everyone.”

The Paris Olympics tennis even was largely a successful one as it saw some spectacular matches. In the women’s singles category, China’s Qinwen Zheng won the gold medal for her country after beating Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-3. In the men’s singles category, Serbia’s legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic won the gold for his country after beating Spain’s young tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz in the final in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 7-6.