My Olympic memory: Sergi Bruguera

Sergi Bruguera talks about his Atlanta 1996 experience, during which he won a silver medal in the men's singles

The Olympic Games are completely different. I had seen them on TV all my life, but I hadn’t ever dreamt about winning an Olympic medal because when I was a boy, tennis was not included officially in the Games. So when it became an Olympic sport and I got the opportunity, it was something hard to believe. 

The truth is that he (Agassi) played extremely well in that gold medal match. The court conditions were better for him, he played a perfect match and he won. 

In my first match I had two match points against me and in some other rounds, it seemed it was all lost for me and at the end I managed to come back. I had some sickness that week and it was really complicated. That’s why at the end I was really proud of that medal. I had stomachache and before one of the matches, I started to throw up at the stadium. But I managed to play and win because of the extra motivation the Olympic Games gives to you. 

You are used to getting trophies, normally cups, so when it is about a medal, it is something completely different from the things you have experienced before. 

Being more famous was not important for me, but winning a medal, it was something quite special. It is one of the best memories of my career. It was one of my great achievements. Winning an Olympic medal is the greatest challenge in sport. 

It is something you always remember in a special way, mainly when we are in Olympic years, and that’s when all your memories come back again. It was an incredible experience in every way, both in the things I experienced and in the emotions I had. 

Players know what they are playing for. They know it is a unique opportunity that they have to prepare for in the best possible way because it is only played every four years. Maybe they will only have one occasion of playing it.