Several of the top male golfers -- Jason Day and Rory McIlroy among them -- have declared they will not compete in the Olympics due to concern about the Zika virus. But if golf legend Annika Sorenstam still was on the LPGA Tour, she would definitely play in Rio. Both to be an Olympian and to benefit the sport.Its sad because I was in the presentation to the IOC to get golf in the Olympics, said Sorenstam, a 10-time major champion. For them, it was, OK, we need to get the best players to play, and this was the first time in several years that all the organizations had lined up and were ready to commit ... So now when you see the players not competing, its certainly disappointing for whatever reason.Concerns over Zika might be overblown. Epidemiologist Mikkel Quam recently estimated that just one in 31,000 people might get the virus during the Olympics. Your chances of being killed in a car accident in the United States this year are substantially higher. Yet we still rent cars and drive around, Sorenstam said.Thus, Sorenstam isnt worried about going to Brazil as an analyst for NBC.As far as I understand, this is a good time of the year to go there, its more dormant, she said. Im going. Im not concerned about that. I may cover myself a little more with mosquito repellent and long sleeves maybe, but other than that, the Olympics is a one-time opportunity.Zika worries are not the only reason for withdrawals, what with the always-demanding professional tour schedules.Some players feel like theyre exhausted, Sorenstam said. They dont see the Olympics as that big of a deal in golf. But when you go to other countries, like Korea and China, thats all they live for. So its cultural.If Sorenstam was playing in Rio rather than broadcasting, just how competitive would she be at age 45 when the average age of players regularly winning LPGA tournaments is around 21 these days?The game is changing, she said. I think a lot of players are better at younger ages. A lot of them dont go to college anymore. Its become very global, so you have players from other parts of the world coming in early. We always talk about experience and how important that is, but we havent seen ... that this year, with people with lots of years of experience behind them.More opportunities for junior golfers is one factor. Sorenstam says her foundation, for instance, holds six junior tournaments around the world annually.We have kids who are 12 or 13 years old or 14 and you watch them and say, they play like they might be 19-year-olds, she said. There are different opportunities that they have early on that are preparing them for pro golf sooner than it used to.It will be interesting to see how long their careers span. Theyre 20; will they be done before theyre 30? Or will their careers be longer? I have a feeling their careers will be shorter if they start sooner. But right now were just starting this phenomenon, so well have to see how many of the 30-year-olds will continue.It will also be interesting to see how the growth of Asian golfers and champions continues.We havent seen the China invasion yet. We have had a few good players, but theyre coming and I think the Olympics will escalate that, said Sorenstam, who retired eight years ago. Were at the beginning of that, but I think other countries will connect and follow and try. There might be another resurgence of U.S. players, there might be a resurgence of European players.While several top male golfers are dropping out, only one woman has withdrawn.I would want to represent my country in the Olympics to be all around these other athletes and be among the elite few that get to do it, Sorenstam said. That is the premier [event] of sports. I know we have majors and our history, but the Olympics have a lot of history. That would be a privilege. An honor. 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Andy Murray will play the role of cheerleader at Great Britains Davis Cup quarterfinal against Serbia this weekend.The Briton flew to Belgrade on Thursday morning on a private jet, with his absence for the tie formally confirmed when the draw was made at the Tasmajdan Stadium.The Wimbledon champion decided on Monday not to play in the quarterfinal on clay in Belgrade so soon after winning his third Grand Slam title and in the middle of a hectic summer schedule.I obviously would have loved to have played, Murray said. But it was going to be quite a tight turnaround and after chatting to my team I wasnt going to be able to do it. I am happy to be here and just try and help, but its tough not to want to hit some balls.I am not here to coach any of the guys, and Im not going to start telling anybody what to do. But if anyone wants to ask me anything I will try and help wherever I can and just support the team.Murray chatted with captain Leon Smith as singles players Kyle Edmund and James Ward hit with coaches Nick Weal and Colin Beecher as well as picking up balls and fetching water.He is gutted not to be playing, but it just came too soon, Smith said. He loves this team and he wants to help.In the absence of Murray from the team sheet, 21-year-old Edmund will face former top 10 player Janko Tipsarevic in the first rubber of the tie on Friday.Edmunds only previous Davis Cup experience came in last years final when he won the first two sets against Belgian No. 1 David Goffin before losing in five.Murray said: I am sure Kyle will be fine. Everyone deals with situations differently, but being number one player makes no difference.He has played in the Davis Cup final, thats tough, it was his first Davis Cup match and he handled it extremely well even though he didnt win the match. And he loves clay, he is very good on the clay courts. I would expect him to be nervous but to play well.Murray looked to be itching to get involved as he stood at the back of the court with tennis racket in hand, and he did take part in a couplle of light-hearted volley drills.ddddddddddddThe Scot made the decision to miss his first tie in more than three years after consulting with his coaches Ivan Lendl and Jamie Delgado as well as Smith.Had he played, he would have had to move straight from grass onto clay and then immediately on to hard courts ahead of the Masters tournament in Toronto starting on July 25. After that comes the Olympics in Rio, where Murray will defend his singles title, and then the US Open.He said: I obviously would have loved to have played but it was going to be quite a tight turnaround and, after chatting to my team, I wasnt going to be able to do it. But I am happy to be here and just try and help, but its tough not to want to hit some balls.I am normally playing some of the matches but I am used to sitting at the side supporting during Davis Cup, so that will be all right, I just hope the guys can do it. Theyve got a good chance if they play well, but its going to be tough.Ward will play the second singles match against Dusan Lajovic, while Saturdays doubles rubber is set to pit Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot against Tipsarevic and Nenad Zimonjic before the reverse singles on Sunday.Andy Murray has had a restful few days since his glorious victory over Milos Raonic in the Wimbledon final last weekend and has enjoyed spending time with wife Kim and baby daughter Sophia.He said: I didnt really do much on Tuesday and Wednesday, just relaxed with my family, tried to recover from the last few months. It was nice to have a few days at home. I needed the rest.I had a great few weeks on the grass. I was obviously pumped to win again and I had a good time on Sunday and Monday, it was great, and I feel really, really motivated now to try and do more.I feel more motivated than I did last time I won Wimbledon for sure. Im really pumped for the next few months and the end of the year and then Ill see what Ive got. Youth NFL Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Wholesale Jerseys 2020 China Jerseys White NFL Jerseys Cheap ' ' '