ITF

82 T im: I was only 21 at the time and Neil and I had never played together before and we just clicked and got better and better, and then to get through to the gold medal match was amazing. Neil: I don't think Tim thought we could do as well as we did, but I thought we could do well. I knew the doubles players that we played against, I knew them from obviously playing all the time. I think I was 29 and he was 21, so he was very young. I can't remember what his ranking was but I think he got to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, so he was on the up. Tim: Naturally, we were unseeded. In the second round we beat the Canadians, Daniel Nestor and Grant Connell, who were seeded No. 2 and were a well-established team. That was a big boost to our confidence. We then beat the Czechs, Jiri Novak and Jan Vacek, in the quarters and then the Germans Marc- Kevin Goellner and David Prinosil in the semis. That was a long, long match – I think we won 10-8 in the third set. Neil: I can clearly remember it still. I thought I played quite well in the match, I served well and I wasn't too nervous at all until 9-8 in the third set when I had to serve for the match. They [Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde] are the one team that I never really beat on the tour. All the other teams I had wins against. They are the one team that I probably didn't want to see until the final. And to be quite honest, I definitely didn't play very well and Tim didn't play very well either, so we didn't do ourselves justice in the final, which looking back was a great pity. Tim: It was still a real sense of achievement because I've always been a massive sports fan and I think the Olympics is the pinnacle of sport. We came up short in the final against the Woodies but then they were the best doubles team in the world at the time. The fact that the 1996 Atlanta Games was one of Great Britain's weakest showings as a team made us all the more proud to get a silver. It was only after the US Open, when I had time to reflect on what we had achieved at Atlanta, did it sink in. Neil: It was surreal, it was amazing. I was soaking it all up. I think some of the other players didn't realise how big it was, but I think nowadays they do. Tim: As time has moved on and tennis has established itself more and more in the Olympics, and certainly with the arrival of the 2012 London Olympics, I pride the medal more and more, if I'm honest. Neil: Winning an Olympic medal is right up there. Obviously playing Davis Cup was great, a couple of tournaments I did quite nicely in, but it's definitely one of the highlights. Tim: For me, the three opening ceremonies I've been a part of, in Atlanta, Sydney and Athens, have been three of the best things I've ever done in sport. The atmosphere and to be a part of the Great Britain team was so special. Each time I stayed in the Olympic Village. It was definitely something I wanted to sample and having tried it once, in Atlanta, I made sure I repeated the experience at the two following Olympics. My kids ask about my medal and certainly before London they would take it to school. I was lucky enough to carry the torch on three different occasions so the torches as well as the medals have been into school a few times. NEIL BROAD & TIM HENMAN Great Britain As time has moved on, I pride the medal more and more.

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