When I first heard earlier in the year that Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish were passing on playing in the Olympics, I was shocked that they would skip out on another chance to participate in the games. But after considering the crowded ATP schedule consisting of four Grand Slams, nine Masters tournaments and the year-end Masters Cup, not to mention the other tour stops, I can’t say I blame them.

Besides, tennis does not fit the games. The Olympics should be about sports that only get this spotlight once every four years. How often do most sports fans follow track and field, swimming, and gymnastics? These sports only see glory and large audiences once every four years when the games roll around. Tennis, on the other hand, has four Super Bowl-equivalents each year in the Grand Slams. Combined with the Masters events, there are fourteen major events in the men’s game. That’s plenty.

Instead of focusing the Olympics, what the International Tennis Federation (ITF) really needs is to change is the schedule for tennis’ oft-forgotten international competiton, the Davis Cup.  It spans the year on four weekends spread out from February to late November, a schedule that only the seriously devoted can follow and maintain interest.

For those of you following the Olympic men’s tennis, the draw came out this morning.  It looks like most of the big draws this year have looked: Federer is seeded No. 1 at the top, with Nadal No. 2 and Djokovic No. 3 in the bottom half of the draw.  The only seeded American man, James Blake, is No. 8; he’s on a path to meet Federer in the quarters, but he would have to get past the hot Gilles Simon in the third round.  Other Americans in the draw are Sam Querrey and Robby Ginepri.  Ginepri opens with Djokovic, and Querrey with Russian Igor Andreev.  In the doubles draw, Bob and Mike Bryan are seeded No. 1, and Blake and Querrey are playing together as well.