Graf, Edberg Are Among Top Stars in the Olympics

During the second week of September, Steffi Graf and Stefan Edberg will be living in luxury in New York, competing for U.S. Open tennis championships and $275,000 first place money.

A win for Graf would mean the first undisputed tennis Grand Slam since Margaret Court in 1970. For Edberg, it’s an opportunity to enhance his Wimbledon championship and perhaps wrest a No. 1 ranking from Ivan Lendl.

Before the ink dries on their checks, Graf and Edberg will be traveling halfway around the world to Seoul, South Korea, to live in spartan quarters and play for a simple gold medallion worth a little more than $105 in cash value. But for all those competing, an Olympic medal has little to do with cash value or computer rankings.

An Olympic medal symbolizes achievement, excellence and national pride. In tennis it offers a unique place in history next to the names of previous gold medalists Suzanne Lenglen, Helen Wills, Hazel Wightman and Vincent Richards.

The roster of 64 men and 48 women will give the Olympic Games the feel of any other stop on the professional tours. The return of tennis as a medal sport after a 64 year absence is indicative of the new attitude of the International Olympic Committee towards the participation of professional athletes.

In the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, tennis was played as a demonstration sport -- as it was in Mexico City 1968 -- but was open only to those professionals under the age of 21. Graf, a 15-year-old from West Germany,and Swedish sensation Edberg, then 17, won the unofficial competitions.

This year, 15 of the top 20 women and 11 of the top 20 men will play in Seoul. Players were chosen on the basis of their participation in 1987 Davis Cup and Federation Cup play and the success of their respective countries in these team tournaments.

Representing the United States will be Chris Evert, Pam Shriver, Zina Garrison, Tim Mayotte and Brad Gilbert in singles with Evert and Shriver teaming for women’s doubles. Ken Flach and Robert Seguso will play men’s doubles.

Evert, ranked third in the world behind Graf and Martina Navratilova, recently joined the team as replacement for Elise Burgin, world’s No. 158, giving the United States three Top 10 players in the women’s competition. Evert had not previously committed to the Olympic team because of schedule conflicts.

Mayotte holds the No. 11 spot among the men with Gilbert No. 13. America’s best chance for gold will come from Flach and Seguso, the top rated doubles combination in the world.