Do you think professional tennis players should be in the olympics?

Question

These players earn their living playing tennis, so why should they be allowed to compete against "amateurs". It doesn't seem fair. Basically it is a forgone conclusion that Williams, Federer and Nadal will all win medals.

Answer 1

good question i am surprised it isn't already an olympic event, its such a popular sport. and table tennis gets in.

EDIT: oh turns out it is an olympic sport. i thought you were asking because it wasn't.

if there is one sport that shouldn't be there, its the horse riding stuff. the jockey is no athlete, and the horse isn't a human so shouldn't really be competing, lol.

Answer 2

I don’t think any professional athletes should be able to complete.  Prior to 1986, only armatures could complete.  The problems started to develop, when countries like the U.S. had professional sports like boxing, basketball, hockey, etc.  Countries like Russia did not, so people thought that Russia had an advantage because basically they were "professionals", it's just that they did not have professional leagues like we do. Basically their "professional" athletes were completing against our amateurs, so the rule was changed.

Answer 3

yeah, same as basketball...

i guess cos it bring that bit of glamour to the games, which is basically the biggest jock party in the world...

not to mention that it spices up the matches since the big stars of the game compete against one another in the name of flag and country...

Answer 4

its their career so why shouldn't they get the chance to represent their country?

its like many athletes who earn their living playing their sport.

Answer 5

Tennis players have to work and train just as hard as the amateurs in the other sports do too. They have to play well to earn a spot in the Olympics so why shouldn't they get the chance to represent their country at the biggest world sporting event in the world. Basketball, Baseball, Soccer and many other sports involve porfessionals also so should they be stripped of their chances also? Pro's put in the same amount of work and dedication to be able to be able to go to the Olympics and to be given a chance seems quite fair to me.  

Answer 6

Yeah, It's strange to see these pro athletes at the Games. Especially in tennis and basketball.