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1/12
Many tennis stars forego playing for the Olympic medals.
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2/12
No matter if Roger Federer (left) and Stan Wawrinka, …
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11/12
Novak Djokovic’s decision whether to travel to Japan is still pending, as is …
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12/12
… Angelique Kerber’s.
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For many athletes there is a very big dream that they want to fulfill in their careers: Olympic gold. One might think that this also applies to tennis stars. But this year everything is different. Lots of big names won’t be in Tokyo. The field is becoming less attractive almost every day.
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Most recently, Roger Federer (39) announced that he was not going to Japan because of knee problems. However, the maestro already has gold at home. Just like Stan Wawrinka (36, foot surgery), Rafael Nadal (35 / Sp, exhaustion) and Serena Williams (39 / USA, without giving a reason). But these are just a few of the stars who will not take part in the Olympic tournament. Dominic Thiem (27 / Austria, wrist injury), Dan Evans (31 / Gb, positive corona test) or Nick Kyrgios (26 / Aus) are also staying away from the major event. The latter gives up voluntarily and is quite open about why he might not want to fulfill his dream of participating in the Olympics: “I don’t like the thought of playing in front of an empty stadium. He never has. “
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Enough of life in the bubble
He is not the only one who justifies his cancellation with the pandemic. The lack of atmosphere and the many requirements in Japan, where there is an emergency, understandably do not motivate to start the trip. Wimbledon semi-finalist Denis Shapovalov (22 / Ka) waives because he is tired of life in a bubble.
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It looks similar with Bianca Andreescu (21 / Ka). With a heavy heart, she makes the decision, which, given the situation, is the right one. With Simona Halep (29 / Rum, calf injury) and Johanna Konta (30 / Gb), who fell ill with Corona before Wimbledon and is not yet fit enough again, other big names are missing in the women’s tournament. Perhaps the silver winner from Rio will also shine with her absence. Angelique Kerber (33 / De) has not yet made a definitive decision.
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Will Djokovic also do without?
Just like Novak Djokovic (34). The world number 1 pursues the big goal of the Golden Slam and wants to win all four Grand Slams within one calendar year. At the US Open (from August 30th) the Serb has the opportunity. He recently described the chance that he will travel to Tokyo before that as 50:50. But if he doesn’t want to leave anything to chance with his intended goal, he too should forego the Olympics.
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And one wonders, what else does this tennis tournament bring? Without the big names, the whole thing degenerates into an insignificant competition. As things stand, half of the top 20 in the world rankings will be missing for men alone. After all, the athletes who take on the exertion will probably also get something positive from the flood of rejections. Because the road to Olympic gold has seldom been less rocky. (red)
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