By ASSOCIATED PRESS
PARIS (AP) — Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner pulled out of the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, July 24, because of tonsillitis, meaning Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will be the top-seeded men, setting up a potential gold medal rematch of the Wimbledon final.
Sinner, a 22-year-old from Italy, posted on social media that a doctor advised him that he should sit out the Summer Games. Sinner won the Australian Open in January for his first Grand Slam title and moved up to No. 1 in the ATP rankings last month after reaching the French Open semifinals.
The draw for Olympic tennis is Thursday. Matches begin Saturday.
“Missing the Olympics is a big disappointment, given that it was one of my main goals this season,” Sinner wrote in Italian. “I couldn’t wait to have the honor of representing my country in this extremely important event.”
Sinner will be replaced on Italy’s team by 207th-ranked Andrea Vavassori in singles and by Luciano Darderi in doubles alongside Lorenzo Musetti.
Denmark’s Holger Rune, who is ranked 16th, also announced his withdrawal on social media Wednesday, saying he has pain in his wrist.
The Summer Games tennis competition will be held at Roland Garros, the site of the annual French Open Grand Slam tournament.
Sinner reached the semifinals at the French Open in June before losing to Alcaraz, who went on to win the championship.
Alcaraz, a 21-year-old from Spain, then claimed his fourth Grand Slam trophy at Wimbledon this month by beating Djokovic, a 37-year-old from Serbia. It was the second consecutive year that Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in the final at the All England Club.
Sinner was eliminated from Wimbledon in the quarterfinals.
