Are tennis bodies compromising players' health? What Jannik Sinner, Elena Rybakina & others' Paris Olympics withdrawal says about the hectic schedule
Top tennis stars like Jannik Sinner and Elena Rybakina became the latest players to withdraw from the Olympic games in Paris citing injury and fatigue. There are a lot of absentees in Paris this year as many players from both the ATP and WTA have opted to rest and recover rather than compete for their countries at the mega event.
The tennis season is relentless and the players have to bear the pressure of competing at the highest level while trying to stay in peak physical condition. However, with a recent hectic schedule including two Grand Slams and the Olympic games within the space of two months, many players have suffered injuries that have ruled them out of the 2024 Olympics.
Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune, and Elena Rybakina are among high profile absentees from the Olympic Games
The World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has announced his withdrawal from the Olympic games citing tonsillitis. The Italian was one of the favorites to win a medal for Italy after guiding them to Davis Cup success towards the end of last year. However, the 23-year-old will have to wait another four years to make his debut at the Olympics.
Similarly, Holger Rune has announced that he won't be participating in the Olympic games as well due to a wrist injury. The Dane was scheduled to compete at the event but had to withdraw at the last minute.
Andrey Rublev and Hubert Hurkacz have already announced they will miss the Olympics due to injury and fatigue. Hurkacz injured his right knee while competing at Wimbledon and has failed to recover on time.
Along with them, Ben Shelton had announced he would opt out of the USA Olympic team as he looks to manage his workload balance. Andy Murray has declared that he will not compete at the singles tournament and will only play doubles at this year's Olympics. The Brit star has also announced that this will be the final tournament of his career and he will retire after the Olympics.
On the women's side, Elena Rybakina announced her withdrawal shortly after the draw was made, due to an illness, which was further clarified as acute bronchitis, which has kept her out of the Olympics. She joins Aryna Sabalenka on the sidelines, the World No. 3 having already announced her withdrawal before the draw.
Sabalenka and Rybakina's withdrawals have made Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff the two top seeds in the singles tournament. The Polish star will start as the favorite to continue her unbeaten run on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
Is the hectic tennis schedule impacting the players' health?
The relentless tennis season has perhaps reached its peak during the last couple of months. The players have been constantly traveling and competing in various tournaments for the last few months.
After cycling through Monte Carlo, the French Open, and the grass court swing including Wimbledon, the players are now back in Paris to compete at the Olympic games, where they will reacquaint themselves with the red clay of Roland Garros.
These constant changes of surface are hard to adapt to and could lead to serious injuries. Many tennis stars have withdrawn from the Olympics to look after their body and manage their workload to try and avoid injuries.
Wimbledon 2024 was already a hub for injuries, as Hubert Hurkacz and Grigor Dimitrov were among the stars to suffer injury setbacks that resulted in their early exits from the competition.
The absence of some of the best tennis players in the world from the Olympics is an indication of the hectic tennis schedule. The constant traveling and competing in various tournaments around the world have started taking their toll on the bodies of the tennis players and it could be a potential warning for the people in charge of the sport to think about the players' welfare.
Three massive tournaments like the French Open, Wimbledon, and the Olympics back-to-back with a frequent change of surfaces are the main reasons for players opting out of the Olympics rather than risk their bodies.