Olympic Tennis 2012: Federer, Serena, Sharapova, Bryans Make This Golden Era

To say some big names of men and women's professional tennis are going for the Gold would be a bit of an understatement.

Roger Federer. Serena Williams. Maria Sharapova. The Bryan Brothers.

It doesn't get much bigger than that. Perhaps, superstars would be apt? Megastars? No, three words probably sum it up:

All-time greats.

They're the Jordans, Jeters, Bradys, Leslies and Tigers of tennis and they're all looking to add one of the few remaining prizes to their history-making resumes: an Olympic Gold Medal.

Federer, Williams, Sharapova, and Bob and Mike Bryan have all won the career Grad Slam and season-ending championships. But surprisingly, the only Gold medals won among the bunch have been captured by Federer and Serena—in doubles.

The Bryans sure wish they could boast of that achievement! They'll have their chance soon enough. They're slated to face off against the French team of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Michael Llodra, and would have to be considered favorites in that match.

Federer, in a rematch of the finals of Wimbledon only a few short weeks ago, takes on "hometown favorite" Andy Murray. After his epic battle against Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinals, questions might arise over how much the Swiss will have left in the tank. He is arguably the greatest grass-court player of all time, so it's safe to say his chances are strong.

Sharapova and Williams have done so much over the years to get to this point, namely by their efforts to play in Fed Cup, the women's international team competition, to ensure their eligibility for the Games. An Olympic medal in singles, something neither one of them has, is within their reach after years of building Hall-of-Fame-worthy careers.

With such stars competing for one of the premier prizes in all of sports, tennis fans around the world should be able to savor the moments of this Golden Era.

Actually, "stars" doesn't do these players justice. One word best sums them up:

Legends.