By Gil LeBreton
glebreton@star-telegram.com
LONDON -- Okay, so the guy in front of you is wearing a sombrero.
And the woman playing on Centre Court is wearing red shoes.
And wait -- what's that? Empty seats in the Royal Box, where the Duchess of Cambridge and sister Pippa sat just a few weeks ago?
Doesn't matter, old chum.
The only take you need about tennis at the Olympics -- and being played this time on the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon -- is that if it's good enough for Roger Federer, it should be good enough for you and me.
When fellow countryman Marc Rosset won the Olympics singles gold medal in 1992, Federer said Monday, "That was huge news in Switzerland. I definitely felt like I was inspired by that on an Olympic level.
"So when I got the call in 2000 to be a part of the Sydney Olympics, I got there."
He even stayed in the athletes' Olympic Village -- for two weeks, he said.
Federer could probably buy the Olympic Village. Yet, there he was Monday, decked out in team red instead of the traditional Wimbledon all whites, behaving as if it all really matters.
And I think it does, or the seven-time Wimbledon singles champ wouldn't be here. Nor would Andy Roddick or the Williams sisters or Maria Sharapova.
Nor, perhaps, would Federer have been inspired to slice and dice Julien Benneteau 6-2, 6-2, in just 58 minutes Monday, after being pushed into a two-set hole against the Frenchman just a few weeks ago.
What would the Olympics singles gold medal mean, Federer was asked?
"Dream come true," he answered.
Tennis made its official return to the Olympics in 1988 after an absence of 64 years. It marked the first time that confessed, card-carrying professionals openly competed on the Games' once-amateur grounds. The Dream Team basketball millionaires wouldn't play in the Olympics until four years later in Barcelona.
Spare yourself the amateur self-righteousness. If you're going to gather the athletes of the world for an Olympics, why not gather the best?
The notion of scrappy U.S. collegians in hockey and basketball, donning the red, white and blue and taking down the Russians is trite, outdated and, nowadays, unrealistic.
The Olympics actually are good for professional sports. They allow fans to see their heroes in a new, patriotic light. They allow leagues such as the NBA and NHL to hitch a ride on the Olympics' global popularity.
They build -- timpani, please -- the pro sports' brands.
And think about it. Who has a more powerful brand in sport than the Olympics and Wimbledon?
Even after its Olympic makeover, let it be recorded that The All England Lawn Tennis Club hasn't lost its magic or its personality. Concessions had to be made -- subtle sponsors' logos were draped over, the Pimm's Cup stand had to rename itself the "No. 1 Cup" for two weeks.
But a treasure is still a treasure, and Wimbledon's cachet translates easily into the flag-waving mojo that the Olympics likes to offer.
"It was a big deal for us when the bid was finally decided," Federer said. "It was a big deal for many of the players.
"Everybody knew that this is obviously a really, really big thing within the Olympics, having tennis at Wimbledon. It can only increase the importance of it."
The London tabloids have been dotted with stories of VIP and sponsor seats going unused at Olympic venues, and Wimbledon has not been immune to that. Scattered rows of vacant seats could be seen Monday, even for Federer's second-round match.
As the tournament goes on, however, those seats will be filled, as at every other Olympic tennis tournament.
In the meantime, trust that no venerable Wimbledon traditions were harmed in the transition to the London Olympics.
You can still wander the grounds and sigh at the quaintness of the grass courts. You'll have to look a little harder, but you can still buy strawberries and cream.
They cost two pounds, 50 pence, and were picked fresh the day before on Kent farms, and they're served with double cream that proudly states it's 48 percent butterfat.
Wimbledon, you see, doesn't need to apologize for anything, including its Olympic tennis.
Gil LeBreton, 817-390-7697Twitter: @gilebreton
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