By Phil Casey, PA Sport

While the Olympics is the pinnacle of sporting achievement for thousands of athletes, for the tennis stars competing in Sydney this year a gold medal will still be the fifth biggest prize of 2000.

It may seem heretical to say such a thing, but the simple fact is that tennis remains a new kid on the block in Olympic terms.

Sydney will see just its fourth appearance at the games while the sport's four most coveted prizes, the Grand Slams, have a combined history of over 400 years behind them.

But for British number one Tim Henman, the Olympics will always hold a special significance as they marked his emergence as a truly world class player.

In fact 1996 as a whole marked a key point in Henman's career, culminating as it did in his first season as the country's top ranked player at number 29 in the world, seeing him reach seven ATP Tour semi-finals and also reaching the fourth round at the US Open, the best performance by a Brit since 1984.

Yet the most important result by far came completely out of the blue as Henman claimed a silver medal in the doubles in the Atlanta Olympics.

With doubles specialist Neil Broad alongside, Henman's entry into the competition barely caused a ripple as home attention was focused on events on the track and the record-breaking achievements of Steve Redgrave on the water.

All that changed however as the pair made steady progress though the draw all the way to the final, only losing out to doubles legends Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge of Australia.

It therefore came as no surprise that just a few months later at the start of the 1997 season, Henman claimed his first tour title in Sydney, of all places, and soon added another in Tashkent.

Coupled with his encouraging recent run of form - albeit one which saw him lose his seventh consecutive final in Cincinnati recently - such memories mean Henman will travel Down Under with eyes firmly fixed on standing on top of the podium with a gold medal around his neck.

Sadly for British number two Greg Rusedski, the only thing his eyes will be focused on is likely to be the physio's treatment table if his appalling run of injuries continues.

Rusedski has not played a competitive match since Britain's Davis Cup defeat at home to Ecuador last month when he had to pull out injured on the morning of the crucial doubles rubber.

Last December he had bone spurs and a cyst removed from his right foot and while the operation was a success, he has struggled to regain fitness and aggravated the problem against Ecuador when losing to Nicolas Lapentti on the same court as his humbling first round loss to Vince Spadea at Wimbledon a fortnight earlier.

Eternally upbeat, Rusedski insists he can regain the sort of form that saw him reach the US Open final in 1997, but the 26-year-old now appears to acknowledge that his injuries are just "something I will have to live with".

He has turned to former coach Scott Brooke for help in the build-up to the US Open and the Olympics and if he can perform creditably at Flushing Meadows, could still pose a threat in Sydney should his massive serve function properly.

But the odds are stacked firmly against him and in favour of it being Henman who stands proudly listening to the national anthem in Sydney.