Aryna Sabalenka becomes latest star to pull out of Olympics in Paris

Aryna Sabalenka has prioritised her health and withdrawn from the Olympic Games tennis event.

The final day of the Olympic Games tennis competition overlaps with the start of the US Open season and a number of top players have already opted not to play in Paris.

Sabalenka said that the workload of this event taking place was simply too much to bear.

A beaten finalist at last season’s US Open, Sabalenka will be one of the favourites for the title this term and she wants to be at her best for Flushing Meadows.

Tennis players and other athletes from Russia and Belarus who qualify for the Games can only compete as neutrals at the Games, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and subsequent attempts to register Olympic committees from annexed territories which triggered another suspension from the IOC.

“I prefer to have a little rest to make sure physically and health-wise I’m ready for the hard courts,” said Sabalenka.

“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 and I made the decision to take care of my health.”

Sabalenka competed at the Tokyo 2020 Games held in 2021 because of you know what. She was eliminated in the second round by Croatia’s Donna Vekic having breezed past Magda Linette in the opening round. The Tokyo tournament was held on hard courts.

Russian and Belarussian players are permitted to enter the Olympics despite not meeting the requirement of having played Billie Jean King Cup tennis in the last two seasons.

Players falling within the required rankings bracket will seemingly be allowed to enter the Paris tournament even if they have not played national team tennis by this precedent.

It would seem Rafael Nadal, who has not played for Spain in the Davis Cup in the last two seasons will also be granted an exemption so any player who does miss out because of this condition might feel hard done by.

Players are not to blame for Olympic Games withdrawals

The first 56 places in the men’s and women’s draws are assigned through the world ranking. Four of the remaining eight slots are handed to NOCs who have not already seen four players qualified across three continental zones.

These are usually the winner and runner-up from the 2023 Pan American Games and a gold medalist each from the 2022 Asian Games and 2023 African Games).

The final four spots in the Olympic Games tennis tournament’s singles draws are reserved for wildcards, one from the host nation France, two for previous Olympic gold medalists or Grand Slam champions, and one for applicants for the Universality place.