Andrey Rublev pictured – Photo Getty Images
With just a few weeks left until the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the various national committees have started announcing their star athletes for the event. However, in the last few hours two surprising and highly relevant defections have been revealed in view of the Olympics: Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov they decided to give up the Olympic tournament.
The news was confirmed by Shamil Tarpischev, president of the Russian Tennis Federation. Rublev and Khachanov will therefore not defend the medals won in Tokyo, where Khachanov obtained silver in the singles and Rublev the gold in the mixed doubles.
According to what Tarpischev declared, the reason for Rublev’s withdrawal is linked to the need to recover physically, with particular attention to the tonsillitis that had affected him during the Madrid tournament and from which, apparently, he has not yet fully recovered.
In the female sector, another notable defection is that of Liudmila Samsonova, who in turn decided not to participate in the Paris Olympics. Again, no official reasons were given for the waiver.
It remains to be seen whether the defections of the three Russian tennis players, which seem more political than actually for physical reasons, will remain isolated cases or whether, in the coming weeks, other leading athletes will decide to renounce the Paris Olympics for health or event planning reasons. season.
Francesco Paolo Villarico
