Friday, July 26, 2024

2024 Olympic tennis begins tomorrow

photo by Diane Elayne Dees
 

Tennis at the Olympic games starts tomorrow, but a number of key players will be absent.

2020 Olympic silver medal winner Marketa Vondrousova will not be at the Olympic Games in Paris. The 2023 Wimbledon champion had to withdraw because of a hand injury. Vondrousova recently sustained a leg injury and also had to deal with some type of back issue. Unfortunately, those injuries occurred right before Wimbledon, and the defending champion went out in the first round.

And if we thought that 2022 champion Elena Rybakina's decision to play at Wimbledon meant that her health issues were behind her, we were wrong. Chronically ill for several months, Rybakina has withdrawn from the Olympics because she has bronchitis.

Also withdrawing were world number 2 Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur, who cited scheduling concerns. Madison Keys withdrew out of caution regarding a recent injury. And 2020 gold medal winner Belinda Bencic will not be in Paris; she recently gave birth to her first child.

With Vondrousova, Rybakina and Sabalenka out, the field opens considerably--or does it? The Games are being played on red clay in Paris, which means that world number 1 and three-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek is the clear favorite. Standing in her way is her main nemesis, Alona Ostapenko, and her some-time nemesis, 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova. (And, of course, everyone else in the field is potentially standing in Swiatek's way.)

Three-time major winner Angelique Kerber has announced that the 2024 Olympic Games will be her final tournament. Kerber will play her first round against Naomi Osaka.

2020 gold medal winners Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, who are not currently doubles partners on the tour, have reunited for the Olympics. As a warmup, they played together this week at the Prague Open, and won the title.


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