Jannik Sinner withdraws from Olympic tennis with tonsillitis

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What does this mean for the men’s singles Olympic tennis?Required reading

Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the 2024 Paris Olympics with tonsillitis.

The Italian world No. 1, who was top seed in both the men’s singles and the men’s doubles, claimed that doctors had “strongly advised” him not to play after coming down with the illness.

“I am saddened to inform you that unfortunately I will not be able to participate in the Paris Olympic Games,” he said in a statement.

“After a good week of clay training I started to feel unwell. I spent a couple of days resting and during a visit the doctor found tonsillitis and strongly advised me against playing.

“Missing the Games is a huge disappointment as it was one of my main goals for this season. I couldn’t wait to have the honor of representing my country in this very important event.

“Good luck to all the Italian athletes who I will support 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

World No. 207 Andrea Vavassori will replace Sinner in the singles draw. Either world No. 40 Matteo Arnaldi or world No. 33 Luciano Darderi, meanwhile, will partner Wimbledon semifinalist Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s doubles.

Sinner’s last competitive tennis match was at Wimbledon, where he lost in five sets to Russia’s No. 5 seed Daniil Medvedev. During that match, the 22-year-old also appeared hampered by illness, with a doctor called to the court to check his blood pressure in the third set before a lengthy medical timeout.

Afterwards, Sinner said in a press conference that “the physio told me better to take some time because he watched me, and I didn’t seem in shape to play. I was struggling physically… it took some time because I was dizzy.”

Later on Wednesday, the No 12 seed Holger Rune also withdrew from the Games.

The Dane, a two-time quarterfinalist at Roland Garros, said he has been playing with pain in his wrist throughout the clay and grass court seasons, and that he was following medical recommendations by not taking part in Paris.

What does this mean for the men’s singles Olympic tennis?

As ATP world No. 1 in singles, Sinner was seeded No. 1 for the men’s singles Olympic tennis tournament, with Serbia’s Novak Djokovic at No. 2 and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz at No. 3. This seeding mirrors that of Wimbledon, where Alcaraz triumphed over Djokovic in the final after being placed on the same side of the draw as Sinner, with Djokovic on the opposite side.

Now, Alcaraz and Djokovic will be on opposite sides of the draw, meaning that the only way they can meet will be in another final.