'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Emma Raducanu and Ben Shelton are some popular names who will not compete in the upcoming Olympics in Paris. The tennis competitions in the French capital are slated for July 27- August 4.
Over the years, the Olympics has often seen several top tennis players miss it. Oe example is Andre Agassi playing only one edition while not competing in 1988, 1992, 2000 and 2004.
The schedule for the 2024 is quite packed when we talked about the Olympic period. The tennis event in Paris is scheduled to end on August 4, while the Canadian Open, which is an ATP Masters 1000/WTA 1000 event, starts on August 5.
Hence, a few players have decided to skip the Olympics, citing various reasons. On that note, let's take a look at 5 popular tennis players who will not compete in Paris 2024.
Trending
#1. Emma Raducanu
2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu is yet to make her Olympic debut. The Brit did not compete in Tokyo and she will not compete in Paris either.
Raducanu said that she was prioritizing her health amid her injury history and did not want to put any extra stress on her body.
"I'm very single minded and I do things my own way and in my own time whenever I want. So not in a diva way, [I'm] just prioritising my body and my health because I know if I'm fit, I know if I'm giving my 100%, I know great things are happening and coming. I just don't think there's any need to put additional stress on my body or any risk, especially with my history," Raducanu said as quoted by BBC.
The 21-year-old has won 11 out of 19 matches so far in the 2024 season, with her best performance being her recent semifinal appearance in the semifinals of the Nottingham Open.
Raducanu started the ATP 250 event with a 6-1,6-4 win over Ena Shibahara and followed it up with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-2 win over Daria Snigur. She faced Francesca Jones in the quarterfinals and received a bye to the final four before losing to eventual champion and compatriot Katie Boulter.
#2. Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka is among the latest players to announce her absence from the Olympics. The Belarusian told reporters that she would be skipping the event to "take care of her health" and be physically prepared for the upcoming hard-court tournaments.
"Especially with all the struggles I've been struggling with the last months, I feel I have to take care of my health. It's too much for the scheduling and I made the decision to take care of my health. I prefer to have a little rest to make sure physically and health-wise I'm ready for the hard courts and I'll have a good preparation before going to the hard court season. I feel that this is safer and better for my body," Sabalenka said.
The Belarusian made her Olympic debut in 2021, where she was knocked out in the second round by Donna Vekic.
Sabalenka has won 29 out of 37 matches so far this season, winning the Australian Open. The 26-year-old's run at the French Open ended in the quarterfinals and she will next compete at the ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin, facing Daria Kasatkina in the second round.
#3. Ons Jabeur
Ons Jabeur also announced that she would not competing at the Paris Olympics. The Tunisian claimed that the adaptation needed by her body to swift adapt to chance of surface would put her knee in trouble.
"Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics. I have always loved representing my country in any competition. However, I must listen to my body and follow my medical team's advice," Jabeur wrote on her Instagram story.
The 29-year-old competing in each of the last two editions of the Olympics. Her first edition of the prestigious event came in Rio, when she lost to Daria Kasatkina in the opening round. Jabeur suffered another first-round exit in Tokyo in 2021, as she lost to Carla Suarez Navarro in straight sets.
The World No. 10 hasn't had the best of seasons so far in 2024, with only 12 wins out of 23 matches.
#4. Ben Shelton
Ben Shelton said back in March that he was "leaning towards" missing the Olympics if he qualified. The 21-year-old said that he as aiming to prepare for the US Open after Wimbledon, adding that staying in Europe to play on clay, where the Olympics will take place, would "mess up" his preparations for the US Open.
"I’d say now I’m leaning towards not going this year if I were to make it. I think it’s tough in the tennis schedule this year,"
“I’ll be in Europe for two months leading up to Wimbledon and then after, you know, I want to prepare and really get ready for the US Open. So having to go back to Europe to play on clay, a different surface, you know, it kind of messes up a few lead-up tournaments to the US Open that I would play if I wasn’t playing the Olympics," he added.
Ben Shelton has won 19 out of 31 matches so far during the 2024 season, winning the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston. The American's clay season ended with a third-round exit at the French Open. He had a poor start to the grass season, losing in the first round of the BOSS Open in Stuttgart.
Shelton will next compete at the cinch Championships in London, with Giovanni Mpetschi Perricard being his first-round opponent.
#5. Paula Badosa
Paula Badosa competed in two events during the Tokyo Olympics but she will be missing this year's edition in Paris.
Spain's coach Anabel Medina Garrigues said that Badosa's injury issues, that have lasted for a while, propelled her to decide on being absent for the Olympics.
"She does not enter with her current ranking because she has been injured for a long time. This has made her take a very difficult decision, because she was really looking forward to being in Paris," Medina Garrigues said.
Badosa was unseeded at the Tokyo Olympics but she reached the quarterfinals following wins over Kristina Mladenovic, Iga Swiatek and Nadia Podoroska. Here, she lost to eventual silver medalist Marketa Vondrousova.
The Spaniard teamed up with Sara Sorribes Tormo for the women's doubles tournament, and they reached the second round before losing to eventual gold medalists Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova.
Honorable Mentions
There are a few other players who won't be participating in the upcoming edition of the Olympics in Paris. These include Venus Williams, who has five medals to jer name, including four golds.
Nick Kyrgios will also not compete in Paris, neither will the likes of Belinda Bencic and Petra Kvitova. While Bencic is yet to announce when she will return to tour after giving birth in April, Kvitova is expecting her first child.
Andrey Rublev is also a very popular name who will not compete in the Olympics. Rublev's mother confirmed his absence but said that he did not disclose his reason behind doing so.
"Yes, Andrey will not go to the Games in Paris. I only recently learned from him that he will not participate in the Olympics. But he didn’t say why. I think it has to with health. Andrey just needs to find time to heal his throat. Treat or remove tonsils. I understand that after this, the body is greatly weakened.”
Rublev has had a decent 2024 season so far, winning 24 out of 34 matches so far. He won his second Masters 1000 title at the Madrid Open.
