Thursday, Jul 15, 2021. 10:17 AM
(Update : Thursday, Jul 15, 2021. 11:23 AM)
Canada’s Vasek Pospisil announced Thursday that he is withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics, which begin in just over a week.
In a Twitter post, the 30-year-old tennis player explained that several factors had motivated his decision, including his state of health.
“Several factors played into this difficult choice, including a right shoulder injury that I recently made worse. I have to give him some rest to regain his strength. This has been one of the most difficult business decisions I have had to make in my career; representing your country in a sport is the dream of many young people, and it was mine too, ”wrote Pospisil.
“However, I had to be honest with myself; I was not ready either physically or mentally to make this trip, ”added the Vancouverite.
Pospisil explained that he was returning home with the hope of being back on his feet in time to compete in the hard season on the ATP Tour.
Pospisil is not the first representative of the maple leaf to withdraw from the national tennis team for the Tokyo Olympics. Earlier this week, Ontarian Bianca Andreescu made the same decision.
The 21-year-old player, who ranks fifth in the world, said she made the decision “because of all the challenges caused by the pandemic.”
Kerber won’t be there either
The German Angelique Kerber, Olympic vice-champion in Rio in 2016 and recent semi-finalist at Wimbledon, has given up participating in the Tokyo Olympics, announced the player Thursday on social networks.
“Representing Germany at the 2012 Olympics in London and the 2016 Olympics in Rio is one of the best memories of my career. It makes it even more disappointing for me to accept that my body needs rest after the intense weeks, ”explained the former world No. 1 (30 weeks between September 2016 and July 2017).
Kerber reached the final of the Games in Rio in 2016, beaten to everyone’s surprise by Puerto Rican Monica Puig, a few weeks after her final at Wimbledon (loss to Serena Williams).
The 33-year-old left-hander, winner of three Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open 2016, US Open 2016 and Wimbledon 2018), regained the last four of a major a week ago (beaten by Australian Ashleigh Barty ) at Wimbledon, for the first in three years.
“I have to recover first before I resume competition this summer,” she added, as the US Open kicks off just four weeks after the Olympic tournament final.
Kerber adds his name to a long list of tennis players who have withdrawn from the 2020 Olympics: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Nick Kyrgios, for men, Serena Williams for women.
