Thai tennis star Tamarine Tanasugarn said Wednesday she is delighted after being told she will be given a special invite to next month's Olympics after her performance at this year's Wimbledon.
Tamarine, 31, who has appeared in three previous Games, initially missed out on representing her country in Beijing because her world ranking had dropped.
However, after her show at Wimbledon earlier this month, when she reached the quarter-finals - where she was beaten by eventual winner Venus Williams - her rankings soared from 60 to 38.
‘I was surprised and glad when I heard. It is an honour for my family and myself to serve the nation in the Olympics,’ she told AFP.
‘I see this tournament as tougher than the Grand Slams. It's very tough, but I will do my best.’
An official at the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand (LTAT) said they were expecting the invite from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) after there were four withdrawals ahead of the start of the Games on August 8.
Although Tamarine's performance was a surprise at Wimbledon she had already proved her talent after defeating French Open runner-up Dinara Safina on grass at the Ordina Open in Holland in June.
