Top 10 tennis players who will skip Paris Olympics 2024 ft. Aryna Sablenka, Grigor Dimitrov & more

The tennis events at the Paris Olympics 2024 are scheduled from July 27 to August 4.

The Summer Olympics, a quadrennial showpiece event, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for players to end up on the podium and represent their countries. The tennis segment of the 2024 Olympic Games is to take place between the 27th of July and the 4th of August at Roland-Garros. The medal rounds are to take place between 2nd and 4th August.

Some players are opting out of the opportunity to represent their country at the Paris Olympics, citing health issues or crowded tennis calendars on the ATP and WTA Tours. The absence of ranking points at the Olympic Games in what is an individual sport is another contributing factor for these players choosing to forgo the event.

The Paris Games are also plagued by players citing workload as the reason not to play. The absence of official prize money is another drawback when attracting top players. Some of the top names not affected by the allure of the Paris Olympics are:

10. Aryna Sabalenka

Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka will be a notable absence at the Paris Olympics. The Belarusian ranked No. 3 in the world, raised concerns with the frequent switching of surfaces rapidly between grass, clay and then hard courts for the North American season.

The two-time Australian Open women’s singles champion announced her withdrawal from the Paris Games in Berlin last month. Sabalenka was absent from Wimbledon as well, courtesy of shoulder pain. The Belarusian was not among the medalists at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, finishing in 17th place in the singles event. 

9. Ons Jabeur 

Ons Jabeur, a two-time Wimbledon finalist, has also chosen to watch the Paris Olympics from the sidelines. Jabeur has been coping with a bad knee, with the most recent retirement coming in Berlin last month. On the advice of her medical team, the Tunisian won’t be playing in Paris despite being her country’s best chance at a medal. 

Recently, Jabeur suffered a shock defeat to Elina Svitolina, making a third round exit at Wimbledon in straight sets and falling out of the top 10 to land at No. 16. The Tunisian wound up at 33rd in the singles event at Tokyo 2020.

8. Ben Shelton 

Ben Shelton has elected to stay away from Paris. The 21-year-old will focus on the North American leg and hard court events on the ATP Tour Instead. Shelton made a fourth round debut at the recently-concluded Wimbledon tournament. He got the better of Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the previous round for a hard-fought five-set win.

Had Shelton chosen to represent the United States, it would have been his first Olympics. He’s the World No. 14 and America’s third-ranked player behind Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul. Fritz and Paul are part of the squad heading to Paris. 

7. Belinda Bencic

Belinda Bencic, Switzerland’s gold medal winner at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is missing from the lineup. Bencic has also been missing in action from the WTA Tour since announcing her pregnancy last November. The Swiss player is a one-time World No. 4 and was a semi-finalist at the 2019 US Open.

6. Madison Keys

With a WTA ranking of No. 14, Madison Keys would have been a handy addition to the USA team headed for the Paris Olympics. However, Keys has been grappling with injuries throughout the season. The most recent of her injury-related exits was at Wimbledon against eventual finalist Jasmine Paolini.

Keys, a former World No. 7, was forced out due to a hamstring injury during her fourth round match against the Italian, with the game delicately poised at 5-5 in the decider. Madison Keys represented the USA in the Rio 2016 Olympics, missing the podium place narrowly after ending up in fourth position in the singles event.

5. Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu turned down the Olympics wildcard and the chance to play for Great Britain at the Summer Olympics. The 21-year-old could not qualify on the ranking basis as she continues her comeback from wrist and ankle surgeries last season. 

The  International Tennis Federation (ITF) offered the 2021 US Open champion one of two places kept for former Grand Slam champions. Raducanu’s comeback journey at Wimbledon ended in the fourth round match to unseeded New Zealander Lulu Sun. The Brit had skipped playing at the French Open to prepare for Wimbledon.

4. Frances Tiafoe 

When the United States Tennis Association (USTA) released the list of players on its Olympic team in June, Frances Tiafoe’s name was missing. The World No. 30 won’t be competing in Paris, skipping the Summer Games in favour of putting in some practice before the year-ending slam, the US Open.

At the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, Tiafoe finished in ninth position in doubles and 17th in singles. The American made the third round at the recently-concluded Wimbledon, where he stretched World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz to five sets. 

3. Pablo Carreno Busta

Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta has withdrawn from the Paris Olympics with an injury to the right leg. Busta represented Spain in the 2020 Tokyo Games, winning a bronze medal in the men’s singles event. His place on the team has been taken by Pedro Martinez in the singles event.

The injury to Busta’s leg was also the reason for his absence from Wimbledon. His replacement, Martinez, will be playing his first Olympics.

2. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is the second Spaniard on this list, having to withdraw with an injury. Fokina was ruled out because of a back injury that led him to skip Wimbledon.

World No. 63 Jaume Munar will replace Davidovich Fokina in his first Olympics. The Malaga native represented Spain in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing ninth in singles and 17th in doubles.  

1. Grigor Dimitrov

Two-time Olympic Games veteran Grigor Dimitrov won’t be representing Bulgaria for a third time. Having not taken part in the Davis Cup since 2015, Dimitrov won’t be making his way to Paris.  

Dimitrov made two appearances at the Summer Games in London (2012) and Rio (2016). The World No. 10 failed to make it to the podium on both occasions, finishing 17th in London and 33rd in Rio in the singles event.

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