The Olympic Games are the pinnacle for many sports, but tennis isn’t considered one of them. A tennis career is generally defined by the number of Grand Slams won and not most Olympic medals earned - even if that medal is gold.

However, it’s important to note that, although tennis isn’t known for its Olympic history and many players grow up dreaming of winning a title at Roland Garros or Wimbledon rather than at the Games, a medal still matters.

On Sunday play will begin in the men’s and women’s events and the world’s best will be on court in the heat and humidity doing their utmost to outplay and outlast the opposition. So why is an Olympic medal not considered by all in tennis to be as big a deal as it should be?

Tennis was first played at the Olympics during the inaugural summer Games of 1896. In 1924, the sport was dropped and didn’t return as a medal sport for a further 64 years. Since 1988 tennis at the Olympics has steadily grown in relevance but it is still not at the same level as a Grand Slam and never will be. It has always left me perplexed why anyone should consider winning a gold medal as unimportant, simply because it’s not as important as winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon or US Open.   

An Olympic medal is not easy to win. Just ask Roger Federer, who, despite dominating the sport for the past few years, has played the last two Olympics and not been able to get on the podium. That may well change during Beijing and Federer clearly believes the Olympics hold a great significance.

“It is a bit different in that you are representing a country as well, which means a lot to me,’’ he says. ''Being part of it is nice.”

National pride is certainly a factor and if you have none, then certainly the Olympics loses some of its attraction.

The process of winning a medal is as tough as performing well in a Masters Series event. In fact, unlike in the Masters Series, the top eight Olympic seeds will not benefit from first-round byes. The fields are virtually identical and, of the most high-profile men and women, only Andy Roddick and Athens silver medalist Mardy Fish have opted out of participating in Beijing, preferring instead to build up for the US Open by playing tour events on home soil.

You have to respect a player’s decision-making when it comes to his or her own schedule but those two absences hardly reduce the prestige of winning a medal as a whole – after all, Fish already has one.

Jelena Jankovic, soon to become women’s world No.1, admits that winning a Slam would be her preference but doesn’t play down the importance of a medal: “To be honest, I would like to win the US Open more (than the Olympics), although I would love to win them both,’’ she says. ‘‘Both are quite special. I would love to win a medal. Winning a medal is pride for your country and a different feeling; you can't compare it to a Grand Slam.”

Much like Davis Cup or Fed Cup, the responsibility of representing one’s nation is a significant aspect for many players. How often do you see players tanking on the ATP and WTA Tour? There’s always the next week, the next tournament in the next country. Few players would ever publicly admit to tanking for fear of being fined, but many of you will have seen even players who have reached as high as the top 10 mail it in on the odd occasion.

The Olympics come around once every four years and that alone can be a factor that makes success at the Games special. A player may never get that chance again, especially if he or she is at the peak of their game.

You never know what four years will do to you. Ask Guillermo Coria - he missed the 2004 Olympics due to injury and was one of the top five players in the world. Four years on and Coria is struggling with a lack of confidence and contending with more injuries as well as residing far outside the world’s top 100. He may never return to the court again, never mind have the opportunity to play in the Olympics.

You can be sure that the winner of the men’s and women’s gold (and the other medalists) will cherish that moment in their career for the rest of their lives.

Jay Jarrahi is a football and tennis correspondent for Priceform and All Sports Magazine.