Tennis Qualification to Summer Olympic Games Paris 2024

[Epic Failure 355]

18 hours ago, Monzanator said:

Tours are doing as best as they can. Olympics are mainly held in July these days and July is full of clay 250s which all the top players would skip anyway. The post-Wimbledon clay events are usually for lower ranked players or clay speciallists (some higher ranked players could enter them if they did bad on grass). Most top players are HC speciallists these days (Nadal who is on his last rites anyway and Świątek are exceptions from the rule). The two most important events during August are Canadian Open and Cincinnati. They are not getting moved and the week before USO is another 250 and new 500 in Mexico for women. Again, top players don't want to overplay one week before US Open. The entry list cut-off will be much higher than in Canada & Cincinnati.

 

The days of 2000 when Sydney OG were in September and there was a two week break between US Open and the Olympics will not return. Back then the season ended in mid-November (YEC date) or late November for Fed Cup final. These days women end their season in mid-October and they still complain they play too much.

 

ATP had their 2000 YEC in the last week of November. This year it's held in the second week of November.

 

The overall schedule issue is that Olympics are held in the same year as European Football Championships which is getting longer with more teams allowed. The days of 8/16 teams Euro ending in the last weekend of June are over. You won't see UEFA Euro overlapping the Olympics anytime soon and NEVER if Olympics are held in Europe as well. Everyone has to fall behind, even Athletics ECh which literally ended on a Wednesday this year not to mess up with the UEFA event. As big as World Athletics are, they are third string compared to UEFA.

 

The ideal Olympics schedule for tennis would be the second and third week of July. But that's not gonna happen with UEFA Euro stretching to mid-July these days. The 2008 schedule when Beijing was held in mid-August was also a killer, you had the USO swing either side of the OG (and most of it was front-loaded before OG anyway including all the Tier I events as they were called back then). Same thing happened in 2004 with Athens (also held in mid-August).

 

In 2024 to have ONE 500 event in DC during the Olympics is as good as it gets. It saves them having to split the USO swing into two halves if the OG would be held in August all the time. That 500 will be a good chance for lower ranked players or those who didn't make the OG cut due to nations quota to get an event result on their ranking. And Sabalenka would be a bigger favorite to win Washington than she would be of making the OG final for instance IMO.

 

Sorry for the long post but I do have an extended history of watching tennis so I'm not talking out of context here

I don't dispute that. My point was in the context of people discussing getting more players to the Olympics. I'm relatively fine with the system as is myself. I was just discussing the potential ways of increasing Olympic turnout if that's what people wanted.

[Epic Failure 355]

9 hours ago, gilbsh said:

But Rafa skipped the grass season also in some non-olympic years..

I know. My post was in defence of him (and others) using the surface change reason.

[jayakris 3]

Lehecka has withdrawn, as per his X post -

 

[Jan Linha 590]

24 minutes ago, jayakris said:

Lehecka has withdrawn, as per his X post -

 

Unfortunately due to vertebra injury he hasn't been on court for some time. He was hoping to make it to Wimbledon and he was nearly sure he would be able to make it to Paris. Unfortunately, the injury still does not let him play. Such a talented player and big loss for our tennis team at the Games 😭

[jayakris 3]

32 minutes ago, Jan Linha said:

Unfortunately due to vertebra injury he hasn't been on court for some time. He was hoping to make it to Wimbledon and he was nearly sure he would be able to make it to Paris. Unfortunately, the injury still does not let him play. Such a talented player and big loss for our tennis team at the Games 😭

Yes, it is really sad for a young player with so much talent.  He just can't seem to stay healthy.  Has hardly played 4 or 5 events all year but has done quite well when healthy.

[Jan Linha 590]

19 minutes ago, jayakris said:

Yes, it is really sad for a young player with so much talent.  He just can't seem to stay healthy.  Has hardly played 4 or 5 events all year but has done quite well when healthy.

Yeah, I guess that after the communication with the coach and team doctor, he does not want to rush back on court as it may get worse. Back injury - vertebra is a serious thing and should be treated wisely. So I understand his decision.  Now, I am hoping he will fully recover, maybe come back on court some time in fall and will be even stronger. And surely will also aim for LA28 :-) 

[Monzanator 4,502]

 

[Pasolini 251]

57 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

 

Curiously USA will only go with 11 tennis players. Not sure why not Caroline Dolehide in doubles.

 

https://www.usta.com/en/home/pro/pro-media---news/gauff--fritz-leads-six-first-time-olympians-among-11-u-s--select.html

[BruT06 45]

Any news about Croatian 🇭🇷 squad in men's doubles? I am asking because of Čilić... It seems that Pavić and Mektić will play together to defend gold and they should be seeded between 4 and 6. It means that Dodig has to play with Čilić (PR:21) or Ćorić (who has not yet qualified for sure) or olimpic silver medallist Dodig will not compete. 

[BruT06 45]

These are unofficial seedings for men's doubles. Croatians and Germans did not confirmed their selections yet. Protected ranked players can not have seeding pair. I have a calculation that there is no chance to have pair (based on combined singles or singles and doubles ranking) that wil get into the top 8 seeding positions. There is one more calculation for Germans if Zverev will play doubles with Krawietz/Puetz, but I think he wouldn't.