World number three Aryna Sabalenka has announced that she will not compete at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, opting instead to focus on her health.
The 26-year-old Belarusian, who retained her Australian Open title in January, recently lost to Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals of the French Open. This was Sabalenka’s first major tournament exit before the semi-finals since the 2022 French Open.
The tennis competition at the Olympics is scheduled to take place on the clay courts of Roland Garros from 27 July to 4 August, while the US Open, held on hard courts, begins just 22 days later. Sabalenka, who was runner-up at the US Open last year, cited the tight scheduling and her health concerns as reasons for her decision.
“I prefer to have a little rest to make sure physically and health-wise I’m ready for the hard courts,” Sabalenka stated. “Especially with all the struggles I’ve been dealing with over the last months, I feel I have to take care of my health. It’s too much for the scheduling and I made the decision to take care of my health.”
Athletes from Russia and Belarus who qualify for the Games are only allowed to compete as neutrals in Paris, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Despite this, Russian men’s world number four Daniil Medvedev has expressed his intention to compete at the Olympics as a neutral athlete.
Sabalenka is set to play in Berlin as part of her preparations for Wimbledon, where she reached the semi-finals last year. Wimbledon takes place from 1-14 July.
