Sinner Withdraws from Paris Olympics Due to Tonsillitis

World number one Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis. The Italian player, who was a strong contender for the gold medal, faced illness during his Wimbledon quarter-final loss to Daniil Medvedev earlier this month.

Sinner, who had previously reached the semi-finals at the French Open and won his first major title at the Australian Open in January, expressed his disappointment in a post on X., external. He said, "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."

The tennis tournament is scheduled to run from July 27 to August 4. Sinner was expected to compete in both singles and doubles at Roland Garros. His withdrawal now paves the way for Novak Djokovic to become the top seed in the singles draw when it is announced on Thursday.

Several players will be absent from the Paris Games due to various reasons. Denmark's Holger Rune, ranked 16th in the world, has also withdrawn, citing wrist pain. Rune commented on X, "I am really sorry that I will be unable to play the Olympics. It's something I've been looking forward to playing and being a part of."

Marketa Vondrousova, silver medallist from Tokyo 2020, withdrew on Tuesday due to a hand injury, and Polish world number seven Hubert Hurkacz has also pulled out. Other notable absentees include Britain's Emma Raducanu, world number three Aryna Sabalenka, and two-time Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur.

Despite these withdrawals, Djokovic, Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, and US Open winner Coco Gauff are all confirmed to participate. The Olympic tennis competition will feature men's and women's singles, doubles, and mixed doubles events.

Andy Murray is set to compete for Great Britain, marking the end of his playing career, with Dan Evans, Jack Draper, and Cameron Norrie also participating in singles. Murray will team up with Evans in doubles, while Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski are expected to be strong contenders for medals in the same event. Katie Boulter will represent Britain in the women's singles and will play doubles with Heather Watson, who, along with Salisbury, will also compete in the mixed doubles.