Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are two of the biggest names in tennis at the moment.
Sinner and Sabalenka are both the world number one players on their respective ATP and WTA Tours.
They are also both multiple-time Grand Slam champions, with Sinner winning his fourth at Wimbledon most recently.
While they have a lot going right for them, a former Wimbledon champion has now declared that he disagrees with something Sinner and Sabalenka did last year.
Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images for ITFVasek Pospisil does not know why tennis players skip the Olympics
Former Wimbledon doubles champion Vasek Pospisil played his final ever singles match at the Canadian Open, losing to Facundo Bagnis.
After his retirement farewell at his home Masters 1000 tournament, Pospisil spoke in his post-match press conference.
One of the questions addressed to Pospisil related to how much he relished competing for Canada, as part of the winning Davis Cup team in 2022 and an Olympic semifinalist in 2016.
Pospisil went on to claim that he could not understand how some players choose not to play the Olympics, something that both Sinner and Sabalenka were guilty of doing last year.
“Well, I mean, I think it’s, I mean, like what’s the point of this sport if you’re not going to play for your country, and play, you know,” said Pospisil. “I mean, I don’t understand players that don’t play Davis Cup and don’t play Olympics, I genuinely don’t. It’s like, how much money or success or this do you want to chase for yourself individually. Bigger picture, I just don’t understand it, honestly.
“I think it’s just a no-brainer. I mean, to play for your country, it’s good for everybody. It’s good for you, it’s good for your energy, it’s good to give back to your country, to be a role model for the kids.
“Okay, prioritize a week of rest, to play another, to be fresh for one of a thousand tournaments that you’re going to play in your career, or go and represent your country, when you’re only going to have a handful of opportunities to do that in your career. To me I just don’t understand it.
“Unfortunately, I think a lot of times it comes down to money for these guys, and that’s just not the right way to look at it. But, yeah, I mean, I just think it’s a no-brainer. I don’t know. It shouldn’t be anything special, you know. I think it should be a default setting for everybody. But the fact that it feels that way I think is, you know, not great. I feel like players should always answer the call for their country.”
Photo By Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty ImagesWhy did Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka miss the Paris Olympics last year?
Last year the tennis events at the Paris Olympics were held on the clay of Paris, where Novak Djokovic finally won an elusive gold medal.
While there were many tennis stars in the French capital including Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek, there were also some notable players missing.
One of those was Sinner, who had never played at the Olympics before, and was forced to make a last-minute withdrawal due to tonsillitis.
He wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) at the time, “I am bitterly disappointed to inform you that unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in the Paris Olympic Games.
“After a good week of training on clay, I started to feel unwell. I spent a couple of days resting, and during a visit, the doctor diagnosed me with tonsillitis and strongly advised against playing. Missing the Games is a huge disappointment, as it was one of my main goals for this season.
“I was eagerly looking forward to the honor of representing my country in this incredibly important event. A big good luck to all the Italian athletes, whom I will be cheering for from home. Forza Italia.”
Sono amareggiato di informarvi che purtroppo non potrò partecipare ai Giochi Olimpici di Parigi.
Dopo una buona settimana di allenamento sulla terra ho cominciato a non sentirmi bene. Ho trascorso un paio di giorni a riposo ed in visita il medico ha riscontrato una tonsillite e… pic.twitter.com/Qrx8TJLoMA
— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) July 24, 2024
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While Sinner’s withdrawal was not foreseen, Sabalenka never had any plans to play the Olympic Games.
The quick surface change from grass (Wimbledon) to clay (Olympics) to hard courts (US Open) appeared to put many players including Sabalenka off.
“I’m not going to play the Olympics,” Sabalenka told press last year. “Especially with all the struggles I’ve been struggling with the last months, I feel I have to take care of my health. It’s too much for the scheduling.
Sinner and Sabalenka were not the only big names to miss the Olympics last year, with Ben Shelton, Andrey Rublev, Holger Rune, Frances Tiafoe, Elena Rybakina and Emma Raducanu some of the other notable names absent from the Paris Games for varying reasons.