Reuters
Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Italian Open – Foro Italico, Rome, Italy – May 13, 2021 Canada’s Denis Shapovalov in action during his third round match against Spain’s Rafael Nadal REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
Reuters
Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Italian Open – Foro Italico, Rome, Italy – May 13, 2021 Canada’s Denis Shapovalov in action during his third round match against Spain’s Rafael Nadal REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
The situation for men’s tennis at Tokyo Olympics this year is turning worse with each passing day as players decided to continue on the ATP tour and skip the prestigious event.
With Rafael Nadal already announcing his decision to skip Olympics, other players like Dominic Thiem and Gael Monfils have decided to pull out of Summer Olympics recently.
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The latest to join the list is the young Canadian Denis Shapovalov. Even though Shapovalov stated that he will be withdrawing from Olympics a couple of days before, an official confirmation came from him moments ago, on twitter.
Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 12, 2021 Canada’s Denis Shapovalov in action during his third round match against Canada’s Felix Auger Aliassime REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
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Denis Shapovalov joins the long list of player withdrawals from Tokyo Olympics
“Hey everyone, after careful consideration I wanted to let you know that I will not be participating in the Olympics this year. Representing Canada means the world to me, but due to the current situation my team and I have decided this is the best decision for everyone?s safety”,?Shapovalov wrote on twitter.
Hey everyone, after careful consideration I wanted to let you know that I will not be participating in the Olympics this year. Representing Canada means the world to me, but due to the current situation my team and I have decided this is the best decision for everyone’s safety. pic.twitter.com/aQD5n2kFS7
— Denis Shapovalov (@denis_shapo) June 21, 2021
Along with Shapovalov, French players Richard Gasquet and Adrian Mannarino have also expressed their intention to skip the Olympics amidst scheduling and safety concerns. Fellow countryman Benoit Paire, wasn’t allowed to participate in Tokyo due to disciplinary reasons.
Due to the withdrawal of Gasquet and Mannarino, players like Jeremy Chardy and Gilles Simon will have an opportunity to represent France at the Olympics, along with Ugo Humbert, Nicolas Mahut, and Pierre-Hughes Herbert.
🚨 Richard Gasquet et Adrian Mannarino ne souhaitent pas participer aux Jeux Olympiques de Tokyo. Jérémy Chardy et Gilles Simon devraient les suppléer au côté de Gaël Monfils et Ugo Humbert en simple, Nicolas Mahut et Pierre-Hugues Herbert en double https://t.co/RW0YGXdVgk
— Quentin Moynet (@QuentinMoynet) June 21, 2021
Not only from France, the Olympic withdrawals continue from America too as John Isner and Reilly Opelka chose to stay away from the event. Other players like Grigor Dimitrov, Casper Ruud, Dusan Lajovic, etc were also doubtful to participate in Tokyo.
However, the entry list of players still have the likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, etc. Juan Martin del Potro, who is recovering from two knee surgeries, announced that he will give his best to be fit for the Tokyo Olympics.
Despite multiple exits, the singles draw at Olympics will have the right mix of experienced campaigners along with youngsters who will enjoy the honor of representing their nation for the first time.
Also read: ?Hyped?: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Rafael Nadal, and Others Describe Denis Shapovalov in One Word
