Olympic Games: Federer, Nadal, Thiem and Co. - flood of rejections for the ghost games
More and more tennis professionals are canceling the Olympic Games in Tokyo - partly due to injuries, partly due to the exclusion of spectators.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: Jul 14, 2021, 03:36 pm
The photo that Roger Federer distributed on his Internet channels on Tuesday evening showed him in a proud pose. As the standard bearer, he led the Swiss Olympic selection twelve years ago in Beijing, and the tennis superstar waved to the spectators with a smile. In 2008, he missed the longed-for single gold in China's capital, but Federer and his buddy Stan Wawrinka were at the top of the podium in the doubles competition.
Federer will no longer be able to collect the gold as a soloist; it will remain one of the few gaps in his trophy collection. Because the 39-year-old superstar will also be absent from the ghost games in Tokyo, he justified his cancellation with a minor injury setback in the last few weeks of the tournament. However, as with many others from the professional tennis cosmos, Federer has ulterior motives - the lack of atmosphere without fans and the difficult corona requirements are not exactly what motivates you to undertake the trip to Asia in the middle of a busy schedule. He was "very disappointed, because it was always an honor and a highlight of my career when I was able to represent Switzerland," wrote Federer, who already competed at the 2000 Sydney Games and won the silver medal in London in 2012.
Olympia? Thiem, Kyrgios, Nadal out - Djokovic still open
In the second Corona season, also for the tennis industry, the motives and considerations of many top players are mixed. The Austrian Dominic Thiem, current US Open champion, and the formative player in women's tennis, Serena Williams, are injured and still need time for their comeback. Spain's matador Rafael Nadal can no longer put his battered body on a stressful program, as a gold medalist in Beijing he has already achieved the highest Olympic goal and now prefers to relax at home in Mallorca. Novak Djokovic, who has just risen to the Wimbledon throne for the sixth time, has the real Grand Slam in mind, winning all four majors in one season. But this dream could be in jeopardy if the unforeseen happens in Tokyo, if the hardships are too great. The "Djoker" had seen a 50:50 chance of participating in Japan at Wimbledon, but insiders still expect him to retreat.
Australia's star player Nick Kyrgios, who had just returned to the tour at Wimbledon after a long break, didn’t ignore his considerations when it came to the Olympics: “It was my dream to represent Australia at the Olympic Games - and I know that I do may never get this chance again. But I also know myself. I don't like the thought of playing in front of an empty stadium. He never has. ”And so he, too, disappeared from the list of participants.
Olympic Games: How Important Are They To Tennis Players?
The question that many still ask is: Does participation in the games have a similar status for tennis players as for athletes or swimmers? The answer is neither a resounding yes nor a resounding no. Even the greatest in tennis have been intoxicated and inspired by participating since the sport was resumed in the 1988 Olympic program in Seoul - and also well integrated into their respective teams. But Grand Slam titles are still more important in tennis than an Olympic medal, and a major trophy such as that of Angelique Kerber at the US Open, the Australian Open or even at Wimbledon later determines the historical rank of a player Player.
Kerber himself had rightly stated four years ago in Rio, where she won the silver medal, “that for most athletes the chance of the greatest success only exists once every four years”: “With us tennis professionals, the next top tournament is coming soon. “Nevertheless, according to Kerber, the Olympic days in Rio were among the“ most beautiful experiences ever, the feeling of belonging to this great team Germany with all the others. ”How Kerber will decide in the Tokyo case is still uncertain - also for there is not much to be gained from the sober consideration of costs and returns. Unless Kerber figured out a real gold chance.
A strong German tennis team will nonetheless travel to Tokyo, especially front man Alexander Zverev, who in the absence of many greats now has a legitimate chance of winning a medal. The doubles Struff / Zverev and Krawietz / Pütz are also promising. It remains to be seen whether the Kerber / Zverev dream will come about.