The Olympic Games they are and will always be a special event for a great majority of athletes. Many of them dream of representing their country, of being able to wear a medal to an entire country that supports them for more than a week. The experience in the Olympic village and the symbolism of an appointment that hardly takes place every four years becomes even greater spurs; also for tennis players, who, although they compete in a discipline that cannot compete in history with others, are fully aware of what playing metal can mean for their entire nation.
However, the next Tokyo Olympics 2021 They will be nothing like any past date. The coronavirus pandemic and the health situation in the Japanese country have caused the Olympic event to take place under very special circumstances: with a large majority of events to be held without any kind of public, with strict behavioral measures within the main rooms and with the doubt and uncertainty of a situation that is far from normal. That is why a large number of tennis players have dropped out of the next Games: we recount them here, at Puntodebreak.
MALE FRAME: Nadal heads a very sensitive casualty list
Virtually half of the top-20 will not be in Japan. So, as it sounds, it is a difficult statement to digest: if we expand it by stating that 23 top-50 players will not be part of the Olympic event, it becomes even more difficult to understand. As we have repeated, a huge contingent of players has preferred not to travel to the Asian continent for various reasons: Rafael Nadal We know that he has put his body and his preparation ahead and that he will focus, of all of them, on the North American hard court tour (Rafa already trains Manacor for the Washington tournament).
Dominic Thiem, the second most important player to get off the Olympic tournament, suffers a complicated injury that could even prevent him from defending the title at Flushing Meadows; others like Casper Ruud or Roberto Bautista They have prioritized the points of other ATP tournaments before the symbolism and patriotism worthy of the Olympic event, while even COVID-19 has appeared on the scene to prevent tennis players like Daniel Evans from being part of the tournament in Japan.
LOSS OF THE TOKYO 2021 JJOO IN THE MEN’S DRAWING:
- # 3 Rafael Nadal (ESP)
- #6 Dominic Thiem (AUT)
- # 9 Roger Federer (SUI)
- #10 Denis Shapovalov (CAN)
- # 14 Roberto Bautista (ESP)
- #16 Casper Ruud (NOR)
- # 18 Cristian Garin (CHI)
- # 19 Álex de Miñaur (AUS)
- # 20 David Goffin (BEL)
- # 21 Grigor Dimitrov (BEL)
- #22 Milos Raonic (CAN)
- # 23 Jannik Sinner (ITA)
- #28 Daniel Evans (GBR)
- #30 Stan Wawrinka (SUI)
- #32 Cameron Norrie (GBR)
- #33 Reilly Opelka (USA)
- #34 John Isner (USA)
- #35 Borna Coric (CRO)
- #41 Albert Ramos (ESP)
- # 42 Adrian Mannarino (FRA)
- # 43 Dusan Lajovic (SRB)
- # 44 Filip Krajinovic (SRB)
- #48 Federico Delbonis (ARG)
- #50 Lloyd Harris (SUD)
FEMALE PICTURE: Not so many casualties, but some flashy
On the female side, there are not so many players who, so far, have decided to get off the Olympic event. Fifteen names of the elite have made the decision not to participate in the Asian event, although many of them are forced by issues such as injuries or coronavirus. Of course, the absence of names such as Bianca Andreescu, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka or Angelique Kerber stands out.
LOSS TOKYO 2021 IN THE FEMALE TABLE:
- # 4 Sofia Kenin (USA)
- # 5 Bianca Andreescu (CAN)
- #9 Simona Halep (ROU)
- #14 Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
- #16 Serena Williams (USA)
- #22 Angelique Kerber (ALE)
- # 24 Karolina Muchova (CZE)
- #26 Madison Keys (USA)
- #31 Daria Kasatkina (RUS)
- # 37 Sorana Cirstea (ROU)
- # 38 Johanna Konta (GBR)
- #40 Shelby Rogers (USA)
- # 41 Svetlana Kuznetsova (USA)
- #49 Danielle Collins (USA)
- # 50 Tamara Zidansek (SLO)
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