Olympic tennis hemorrhage puts Djokovic on the brink of glory

If in Rio de Janeiro 2016 it was without a doubt golf the sport with less olympic spirit, this year that dubious honor will be assigned to the tennis. In the United States, for example, your committee has had to search the depths of the scale to complete the team (eight women – including Serena Williams– and its six best men have said no to the Games), while in Spain eight of its best nine male tennis players (it will be Pablo Carreño) have decided to stay at home due to the discomfort of the ‘bubble’ Japanese pandemic, untimely injuries or the simple desire to perfect your preparation for the final leg of the season.

Not a day goes by without new casualties being known for the tournament (the last ones have been the American Coco Gauff, when testing positive for coronavirus, and Matteo Berrettini, from muscle fatigue), a list with an overly illustrious name: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Dominic Thiem, Denis Shapovalov o Roberto Bautista in the male box; Victoria Azarenka, Sofia Kenin, Serena Williams, Simona Halep o Angelique Kerber in the feminine.

Tiredness, injuries, and fear of Covid-19 (and its collateral damages) in a country that continues with a rate of incidence high scare players pressured by a tight schedule. Consequently, racket sports will not be – weighed down by the absence of Carolina Marin in badminton after his ligament tear and two menisci – those that generate more attention of the July 23 to August 8.

El ‘Golden Slam’

But the men’s tournament, paradoxically, could go to the Tennis history. After taking the tournaments of Australia, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, the Serbian Novak Djokovic has an unrepeatable chance to reach the ‘Golden Slam’ (the conquest of the four ‘big’ tournaments and the Olympic gold in a same season, feat that no man has achieved: only Steffi Graf he succeeded, in 1988).

Djokovic, world number one and serious aspirant to become the best tennis player in history by number of Grand Slams, hesitated two weeks ago, after winning Wimbledon. “I’ll have to think about it,” said ‘Nole’: “My plan was always to go to the Olympics, but right now I’m a bit divided. I’m 50-50 from what I’ve heard the last few days about him public”.

This week, however, he cleared up the doubts: “I’m going to play the Olympics for patriotism, for my feelings towards Serbia. I am not in the least delighted with the fact of playing without an audience or with the different restrictions due to coronavirus in Japan, but representing your country in the Olympic Games is essential ”, said the winner of the medal of bronze in Beijing 2008; “The schedule is exhausting, but I am very confident from all the victories I have accumulated this season. Win a medal It is my goal: it is no secret that I aspire to win the Olympic gold. After Tokyo 2020 I will start thinking about the US Open ”. The US Open, the last Grand Slam of the season, is held in September. If he is not injured, the Serbian is the clear favorite to win both competitions and beat two unusual records.

Lack of stimuli

Although Olympic tennis has never been a date stellar In a circuit that distributes juicy prizes on the circuit, sports managers tried to increase the popularity of the tournament in Beijing 2008: faced with the impossibility of competing for money (beyond the medal awards), the professional associations decided to award points for the world ranking, equating the Games to a tournament Masters 1000. The problem is that later they realized that not everyone has the right to participate, due to the national quotas. So eight years later, in Rio de Janeiro, these non-Olympic awards were eliminated.

As a result, the tennis tournament languishes under the added stress of the pandemic as male and female players post in their social media messages of support for Olympism and vindication of its importance, both individual and national, are beginning to sound ancient. Until 90 tennis players the circuit have declined the opportunity to play for their country in the capital of Japan.

Djokovic – with the pressure of favoritism absolute – will be (in addition to eventual surprises by lesser-known players) the great attraction of the tournament. Among his rivals, the Russian Daniil Medvedev (number two in the world) is the call to reverse the historical process of ascension to the definitive world throne that stars the Serbian for five years, confirmed in a very painful way for Spanish fans by his victory against Nadal in the semifinals of Roland Garros and his comeback of two ‘sets’ to Stefano Tsitsipas in the end). Precisely the Greek and the German Alexander Zverev they are his other two rivals with greater substance on paper.

In the women’s team, there will be number one in the world, Ashleigh Barty, with a magnificent season, although nothing generates more excitement than the return to the tracks of the Japanese Naomi Osaka, number two, after his highly controversial withdrawal from Roland Garros for the Press conferences, a debate that is far from closed due to Osaka’s own tenacity, who also missed the Wimbledon tournament this month. For the Spanish fans, the unknown remains of knowing the state of form in which they will arrive at the Pandemic Games Garbiñe Muguruza, the farewell of Carla Suarez or the new strength of Paula Badosa.

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