by ATP Staff
Original link: http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2012/04/Features/Nadal-Federer-On-Olympic-Tube-Map.aspx
Former Olympic champions Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have been featured on a special Olympic edition of the London Underground map, designed by former BBC sports journalist Alex Trickett and sports historian David Brooks. The map is being sold on Transport for London’s website prior to the 2012 Summer Games.
All 361 station stops on the London Underground Olympics Legend map have been renamed to honour Olympic greats, with American swimmer, Michael Phelps – a winner of 14 Gold Medals – representing the main Olympic venue’s stop.
Both Nadal and Federer feature on the Basketball and Tennis Line, occupying the stops usually known as Angel and Old Street. Nadal won the singles gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, with Federer partnering Stanislas Wawrinka to doubles glory the same year.
Answering questions on his Twitter feed (@alextrickett), Trickett explained that World No. 1 Novak Djokovic did not feature on the map as the honour is reserved for Olympic gold medallists, adding, “No doubt he will, the way he’s playing! And then he will be on the next Olympic tube map. Brilliant player.”
Other tennis players to feature on the map include Chileans Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu, Andre Agassi, Michael Stich and Boris Becker.
In a joint statement, the map designers said, “We love sport, we love lists and we love London, so what better challenge than to select 361 of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen and to fit them on to our iconic tube map.
“There were heated debates and a few late changes of heart, but we are happy with the result: dozens of nations represented, all 2012 Olympic sports accounted for, and Ali and Phelps, two of the greatest Olympians of all time, guarding the Stratford gateways to the Games.”
Topics: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer