The hunt for Olympic gold in tennis will take place in 2024 without numerous stars of the scene. On Thursday, another top 10 player canceled her start in Paris.
Elena Rybakina, who won Wimbledon in 2022 and reached the final of the Australian Open in 2023, announced on Thursday that she will not participate in the Olympic Games in Paris.
The 25-year-old Kazakh, who is currently ranked fourth in the world, is the second player from the top 10 to have to cancel her participation in Rolland Garros after Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus, the number three in the world. Former Grand Slam finalists Ons Jabeur (Tunisia/No. 16) and Madison Keys (USA/No. 14) have also announced their withdrawal.
According to the Kazakh Federation, Rybakina is suffering from acute bronchitis. Doctors have categorically forbidden her from competing for medals.
Rybakina’s cancellation could also have an impact on Angelique Kerber. If the German overcomes her difficult opening hurdle of Naomi Osaka, Rybakina, who would have been the clear favorite in her first match against Romanian Jacqueline Cristian, will no longer be in danger in the second round.
Rybakina’s place in the field is now taken by Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, also a tough opponent. Daria Saville from Australia also slips into the bracket as a replacement.
World number one cancels men’s event
There were also extremely prominent cancellations in the men’s competition: World number one Jannik Sinner from Italy is suffering from tonsillitis, and other top players are missing, including Casper Ruud from Norway, Grigor Dimitrov from Bulgaria and Hubert Hurkacz from Poland.
But that’s not all: Clay court legend Rafael Nadal’s start is also suddenly in jeopardy after the Spaniard had to cancel a training session with Alexander Zverev on Thursday at short notice due to a “minor setback”.
Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya told the Spanish radio station “Onda Cero” that it remains to be seen whether Nadal can compete in the Olympic tournament. “I can’t guarantee anything. We have to wait and see,” said Moya.
The first matches start in Paris on July 27. From a German perspective, the Olympic Games will then also begin for Laura Siegemund (against Danielle Collins) and Kerber as well as the doubles Dominik Koepfer and Jan-Lenard Struff (against Mektic/Pavic) and the women’s duo Tatjana Maria/Tamara Korpatsch (against Carle/Podoroska).
Source: www.sport.de
