lisa raymond
[+] "you fight your butt off to become the number one doubles player
in the world and you don't get chosen to go to the olympic games. how that's not
good enough -- you tell me".
[+] "this is the opportunity of a lifetime and it was unfairly taken
away from me," raymond said. "i'm not just going to stand and watch."
[+] "common sense would tell me if i'm no. 1 in the world in doubles that i
deserve to go to the olympics to play doubles"
[+] "i guess you could say i was a little misled, but at the same time,
i feel like as the no. 1 doubles player in the world, i deserve to represent the
united states in the doubles discipline. i certainly earned it. i'm very frustrated,
angry and disappointed both in billie and the usta"
[+] "i made it a priority at the beginning of the year (to play on the
olympic team). i really focused a lot, after winning the australian open, on my
doubles and made that a goal of mine. to walk in that stadium during the
opening ceremonies with all those amazing athletes, i don't think there are too
many experiences that can come close to that."
[+] "being denied that chance go to sydney is a very sore point
and it sticks out. whenever i look back to 2000, that’s all i can think of despite all
my other accomplishments during the year".
[+] "i don’t regret contesting the decision to leave me out. what was
so disappointing was that i knew if i had been on that team i would have had a medal
around my neck and that was taken away from me".
[+] "i had always put billie on a high pedestal, really respected her for
what she did for the game. but after what i went through i'll never feel the same
about her. i just never believed she would do that, especially since i was ranked
no. 1, but that’s the politics of the system".
serena williams
[+] "it's just disappointing that all of us wouldn't be able to go to the
olympics. obviously she's a great doubles player. Not everyone can win.
you win some, you lose some. apparently, this is a bad one to lose."
lindsay davenport
[+] "she (king) always said `well, my decision is easy because i'm
going off the rankings.' i think that's where the problem started. lisa thought that
was the way it was going to be".
monica seles
[+] monica seles said the controversy could have been avoided if the team
had simply gone by the rankings, which she said was "a much fairer process."
richard williams (venus' & serena's father)
[+] "if i was the person who picked the team, i would have put lisa on it."
martina navratilova
[+] "[raymond] deserved a spot on the team. if you think doubles is important,
who is the no. 1 player in the world? lisa raymond," navratilova said during
a wide-ranging postmatch press conference. "logically, you say serena and
venus, whatever tournaments they've played, they've won, but lisa has
sacrificed to get that ranking."
richard jeydel (arbitrator)
[+] the usta drew up a memo july 6 that granted king discretion in
choosing the doubles player. the memo was drawn up "in flagrant violation of USOC
requirements, the procedures and the fundamental principles of open, fair and
objective olympic team selection."
[+] "(raymond) was misled by usta's untimely and ill-considered
communications as to the standards to be followed in nominating team members."
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