Andy Murray to headline Britain’s tennis team at Paris Olympics, Emma Raducanu out
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FILE PHOTO: Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 26, 2024 Britain's Andy Murray waves to the crowd after losing his first round match against Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
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LONDON – Former Wimbledon, US Open and Olympic champion Andy Murray is set to compete at the Paris Games for Britain, the British Olympic Association said on June 16.
The 37-year-old Scot, who won gold in London 2012 and Rio 2016, is the only player to win back-to-back Olympic titles in singles. He will be joined by debutants Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans in what will be his fifth, and possibly final Games.
It was a landmark day for Draper, the incoming British men’s singles No. 1, as just hours later the 22-year-old won his maiden ATP Tour title, beating former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in the final of the Stuttgart Open.
He said after the win: “I think (it is) just a lot of hard work. A lot of tough moments the last year or so. It’s been up and down, but I’m really, really glad with the way I played and I think it’s a testament to the work I’ve been doing.”
Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu was not included in the line-up. The BBC reported that Raducanu, who is still coming back from surgery on her wrists and ankle in 2023 and was ranked too low to qualify automatically for the team, had turned down the offer of a wild card.
Said the head of Britain’s Olympic tennis team Iain Bates: “I have had various conversations with Emma over the last couple of weeks and a slightly longer period where it’s very clear how much being part of a British team at an Olympics would mean to her.
“I think she feels this isn’t going to be the right timing for her for this summer. She’s hopefully got many Olympics ahead of her. I’m very comfortable with the decision that she’s made.”
Current British women’s singles No. 1 Katie Boulter will make her Olympic debut in the women’s singles. Tokyo Games Olympians Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury will compete in men’s doubles.
Boulter beat Raducanu 6-7 (13-15), 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-finals of the Nottingham Open on June 16. The match was halted after the first set on June 15 due to bad lighting. Boulter will face Karolina Pliskova in the final.
“The calibre of the team gets stronger with every Games, and it is great to see a mix of returning and first-time Olympians,” Team GB chef de mission Mark England said in a statement on June 16.
“Andy Murray was our flag bearer in Rio, and he continues to lead by example through his commitment to the Olympic Games and Team GB in what will be his fifth Olympics.”
The Olympic tennis tournament will run from July 27 to Aug 4 at Roland Garros in Paris.
Meanwhile, Australian top seed Alex de Minaur beat American Sebastian Korda 6-2, 6-4 to win the ’s-Hertogenbosch grass-court Wimbledon warm-up on June 16 in the Netherlands.
The straight-set win ensured the 25-year-old will reach a career-high world ranking of seventh.
It was de Minaur’s second title of the season after winning in Acapulco, Mexico in March, and the ninth of his career. REUTERS, AFP
