In the order of prominent volleyball tournaments, it’s difficult to say where the Olympics stand. On the one hand, winning a silver medal is a great respect for any sportsman. The activities occur solely quadrennially, as opposed to ATP Tour events and the Grand Slams, which are held every year.
On the other hand, tennis was only reintroduced as an Olympic sport in 1988, so it does n’t have the historical status of Wimbledon, for instance. However, the best-of-three rather than a best-of-five fixed style makes it feel less serious and leads to wonkier results—Karen Khachanov has a gold medal to his title, while the Sheep, Novak Djokovic, has nothing more than a copper.
Also working against the Olympics: The rest of the tennis calendar carries on as if they do n’t exist.

World No. American Ben Shelton, age 14, and age 21, is one of many eligible players who wo n’t compete in the Olympics this year. ” I want to create and actually get ready for the U. S. Open”, Shelton said in a press conference. ” Having to go back to Europe to enjoy on sand, a various floor, it messes up a dozen lead-up games to the U. S. Open”.
Shelton is the best seed in the field of competitors competing in the Atlanta Start this week out of those who either chose not to compete or not.
This time, that list is quite long. Shelton and Frances Tiafoe both cited evaluating preparing for the U.S. Open. Ons Jabeur and Emma Raducanu, former women’s Grand Slam winners, both mentioned health issues when they did n’t play. Thus did Aryna Sabalenka and Andrey Rublev, although being Belarusian and Russian, both, they would not have been allowed to compete under their countries ‘ colors.
The change in court areas might be a contributing factor to the large migration from the competitors. In April and May, ATP competitions are held on slower sand courts to benefit players who hit with top-pin and hold long rallies, and in June the journey switches to faster, lower-bouncing grass courts to encourage extreme play. The players will return to Roland Garros ‘ renowned clay courts just two weeks after Wimbledon, and the whiplash will continue this month.
Rafael Nadal, who won a gold medal in 2008 and is nearing retirement, skipped the grass season to prepare for Paris, where he’s won the French Open 14 times.
” I think they fit]the Olympics ] into the tennis schedule in a complicated way”, Shelton said of the Games.
It feels like there’s always some excuse for not participating in the Olympics. Some Rio 2016 athletes expressed concern about the Zika virus in 2016. In 2021, the pandemic discouraged participation—or prohibited it, in the case of those who tested positive.
The prize money that players leave on the table by attempting to win a medal is also not mentioned, though.
Jannik Sinner, back when he was still a teenager, did not play in the 2021 Olympics and was therefore able to participate in the Washington Open. In contrast to the 16 that took part in both the previous iteration of the event in 2019 and the subsequent one in 2022, he faced a somewhat smaller field that included only eight other top 40 players. Sinner won the 2021 tournament and earned$ 351, 000 in prize money, which accounted for more than 10 % of his career winnings at the time.
Sinner was scheduled to compete in the 2024 Olympics, but he recently had to withdraw due to a tonsillitis diagnosis.
Casper Ruud also made a trip to Tokyo and was able to attend Gstaad and Kitzbuhel for two more ATP Tour events. The Norwegian won both, earning 41, 000 euros at each and just shy of$ 100, 000 combined. Ruud said at the time of his withdrawal that he still believes and hopes to compete in more Olympics in his career.
Ruud also received 250 ATP ranking points for each of his titles, which helped him move up a few spots and earn higher seed in upcoming competitions. “@CasperRuud98 you are a good player. However, we all know that you are stealing points from those competitions, haha,” Nick Kyrgios tweeted.
Those points were crucial to the advancement of Ruud’s career. At the 2022 French Open, the difference separating No. 8 seed Ruud and No. 9 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime was a mere 120 points, and Ruud had won 500 of his points during the clay court swing that overlapped with the 2021 Olympics, while Auger-Aliassime competed in Tokyo and lost in the first round.
In Grand Slams, top-eight seeds are guaranteed to not play another top-eight seed until at least the quarterfinals. Ruud, in fact, advanced to the 2022 French Open final without facing a single top-10 opponent.
Auger-Aliassime, though, had the privilege of playing No. 5 seed Nadal in the fourth round. He was the only third player to take Nadal to five sets at Roland Garros, but he suffered a close loss.
Ruud’s prize money for the tournament:$ 1.2 million. Auger-Aliassime’s:$ 236, 000.
Despite the financial opportunity cost, most top players are still participating in the 2024 Olympics.
” I know if I’m thinking strictly about my personal career, it’s better to go to Canada and prepare on hard courts”, Daniil Medvedev told reporters. ” But when I’m 40, if I can say I played in Tokyo Olympics, Paris Olympics, Los Angeles Olympics and I had a lot of fun in my life and my career, I’m going to be happy”.
Players outside of the top tier should be encouraged more by the results of previous Olympic competitions to compete for gold. Despite spending the majority of his career outside of the top 30 of the ATP, Nicoles Massu still won the 2004 gold medal. Andy Murray struggled against the big three to win gold medals in both 2012 and 2016. He was only able to win thrice in Grand Slams. Alexander Zverev won gold in 2021 despite not having yet won a major.
Anything can happen at the Olympics. Just ask Djokovic, who lost to then-No. Pablo Carreno Busta, 11, won the bronze medal competition in Tokyo. The one item missing from his resume is an Olympic gold.
” The Paris Olympics are very important”, Djokovic said earlier this year. ” The Olympics have always been a priority for me.”