ITF

205 I t was definitely one of the highlights of my career. The first time I was an Olympian was in Athens, and then I felt I missed out on a couple of other opportunities, in Sydney, Beijing. And then to have that opportunity again in such a late part of my career, to be able to be on the Olympic team in London, meant everything to me. I busted my butt to get my ranking up and to get fit, and to accomplish that. For me, when I have accomplished as much as I had accomplished in my career, it was the one thing I felt like, was missing from my trophy case, for lack of a better word. So to walk away from London a medallist, and to know I've won an Olympic medal, is just a phenomenal feeling. It was truly amazing on the podium. We literally, if you look at the pictures, the footage, could not stop smiling. And you know, he [partner Mike Bryan] had just won the gold a couple of days before. So, you just kept looking at each other, "My god, I can't believe we've done this." You can't – you realise it's not just about you – I mean, yes, it is your Olympic medal, but you have USA on your back and you're standing up there with five people on the podium, it's truly hard to even put into words. But to know that forever you are an Olympic medallist. I smiled for months on end after that. Because it was the one thing I hadn't accomplished and to have that experience, and to have it at Wimbledon, for me to win a medal at the holy grail of tennis, it's just truly, when asked, one of my greatest memories on a tennis court. LISA RAYMOND United States Back home I had Olympic parties for weeks. It's just something that is so surreal, to think you're in a category that you'd never think you'd be in with certain Olympians. The fact that not many people on the planet can say they own a bronze medal. To be thrown in with those same individuals is pretty humbling. I have people knocking on my door, kids in the neighbourhood coming over and saying, "You're Lisa Raymond, you won the bronze in London, can I see your medal, can I see your medal?" And everywhere I went for the next few months, whenever I went to a dinner party: "Can you bring your medal? Can you bring your medal?" I don't know if it's necessarily opened doors, but it's certainly made me a lot more popular (laughs). I look at my medal a lot. I sure do. And every time I look at it, it's right there with a picture of Mike and I – I have this awesome picture from the back – all of us on the podium getting our pictures taken, and all the photographers in the Royal Box, and you have [Max] Mirnyi and [Victoria] Azarenka, and then you have Robson and [Andy] Murray, and then us. It's from the back and it's my screen saver, and it's one of my favourite pictures ever. It was such a moment, such an amazing moment for me. LONDON 2012 MIXED DOUBLES BRONZE To know that forever you are an Olympic medallist. I smiled for months on end after that. To know that forever you are an Olympic medallist. I smiled for months on end after that. It was the one thing I felt like was missing from my trophy case.

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