Watson, who has always treasured the Olympic experience, said of the absentees: “I still feel the same way”.
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Djokovic’s unexpected reverse to Sam Querrey in the third round at Wimbledon in a sloppy, unfocused outing – after he swept to a fourth straight major in Paris – is sure to make onlookers wonder if the world No. 1 is set for a mild slump. Venus and Serena Williams, the two-time defending champions in women’s doubles, geared up for Rio by winning the doubles crown at Wimbledon.
The team’s chef de mission Mark England, who headed the panel for the final selection, said a conversation with Murray convinced him the three-time grand slam victor was a worthy choice.
Nadal missed the London Olympics with a knee injury and like Murray will have flag-bearing duties on Friday. That extra week allowed me to regroup mentally, physically, emotionally, spend some quality time with my family, think about something else and then obviously get ready and be prepared better for what’s coming up. I’ve been competing for Great Britain since I was 10 years old.
Djokovic will go down as one of tennis’ greats and has won nearly everything on offer, but an Olympic title still eludes him. I want to cherish and nurture it. I want to grasp this wonderful energy.
The “Big 4” of men’s tennis is enthusiastic about their sport’s place in the Olympics, unlike their counterparts in golf.
Swiss pair Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka are sidelined by injury, Milos Raonic and Tomas Berdych pulled out over Zika concerns while Dominic Thiem chose to prioritise the ATP Tour.
However, as committed as Murray is to the cause, he expressed mild disappointment after the draw that he and Djokovic stand alone among the elite who have bothered to come.
“I wasn’t expecting it, genuinely”.
Reigning gold medalist Andy Murray could face fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori in the semifinals. “We are all here and we are of course going to put on a great show”.
The five-time Grand Slam singles champion last played in the Olympics at Atlanta in 1996 and had been due to play women’s doubles with Bencic and mixed with Federer.
I really hope this leads Djokovic to bringing back his impersonations and adding Phelps to the repertoire – he’s easy; get the wingspan of a pterodactyl and swing those arms back and forth under your pecs, all while dithering about retirement and saying “um” a lot.
“Here it’s totally different conditions, different venue, different country, so I’ll try and treat it like any other tournament and prepare as best I can”, he told reporters.
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Nadal will carry Spain’s flag at the opening ceremony on Friday.
