It is a “no-brainer” to sidestep the Paris Olympic Games, Australian tennis star Jordan Thompson says, even though no one is prouder than him to play for his country.
As the national No.2 men’s player, 30-year-old Thompson is qualified for the Games, which begin next month, but he’s joined a host of international tennis stars, headed by Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, who have decided to give the event a miss.
Explaining his decision on Friday to seek ranking points instead of going for gold on the clay courts of Roland Garros, Thompson, who looked in fine form in reaching the semi-finals of the grass-court Queen’s Club Championship in London, said: “It’s a no-brainer”.
“I love representing my country, everybody knows that,” added the man who has a tattoo of the Olympic rings on his right bicep.
“But clay is clearly not my favourite surface. (The Olympics) is back in Europe when the season of tennis is actually in America and getting ready to play the US Open.
“We’re coming off the grass going into the hard courts in America. Newport (on grass) and Atlanta (on hard courts), it’s their last year as tournaments, and I really enjoy playing on the grass.
“So I don’t want to give up playing on grass and then coming back to play on clay, which is my worst surface by a mile.
“It’s a pretty easy decision for me. I’d probably have to stay in Europe and play on clay if I really wanted to give the Olympics a fair crack.
“But I’m defending points from having reached the quarter-finals in Washington last year, and I’m trying to get seeded at a Grand Slam.”
Fellow Australian Max Purcell, who could have competed in the men’s doubles, is another who has decided to sidestep the Games to concentrate on his singles ambitions on the ATP Tour.
Sabalenka is the highest-profile athlete to miss the Games, explaining she made the decision “to take care of my health”, while world No. 10 Ons Jabeur will miss the event because “the quick change of surface and the body’s adaptation required would put my knee at risk and jeopardise the rest of my season.”
Britain’s former US Open champ Emma Raducanu was offered a wildcard spot for the Games, but turned it down saying it was too risky to change surfaces.