While there were no surprises on the list released Friday by the ITF, two top-10 players – one on the men’s side, one on the women’s – later announced they were withdrawing from the Olympics, and both mentioned concerns about the Zika virus.
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Czech Republic’s Berdych, who fell to Andy Murray in the recent Wimbledon semi-finals, says his family is his “utmost priority” and will not compete in Rio. The reason for my decision is the concern regarding the danger posed by the Zika virus.
More than 20 male players have withdrawn from the golf competition at Rio 2016, with many citing concerns about the mosquito-borne virus.
Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic and former French Open finalist Simona Halep announced their withdrawals yesterday.
“It is because of the Zika virus spread in the country of the Olympics”, Berdych said as he explained why he would not be attending the games.
“It was a hard decision for me to take after a long and painstaking discussion with my dearest”, Berdych, 30, said on his Twitter page on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Nick Kyrgios has opted not to compete in the Rio tennis tournament due to a dispute with the Australian Olympic Committee, while Austria’s Dominic Thiem and American John Isner have stated they will pursue ranking points rather than compete in Rio.
Rafael Nadal is eligible to represent Spain in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next month after succeeding with an appeal to the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
“I know the Olympics are a very important event and I truly regret these circumstances”.
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“I wish the Czech team a big success and I hope that I will soon be honored to defend the Czech national colors again”.
