Emma Raducanu and big name Olympic absentees defended by former world No 2

Several leading women have opted against playing in the Olympic Games in Paris, with Britain’s Emma Raducanu among those who have been criticised for that decision.

Raducanu is not alone in opting against competing at the Olympics, with Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka among the big names who did not want to compete in the Games.

The transition from clay courts, into the grass court season and then back to the clay for an Olympic event that will be staged at Roland Garros was cited as a reason for some players declining the chance to play for their nations.

Instead, Sabalenka, Jabeur and Raducanu are due to compete for ranking points and prize money at the Citi Open in Washington, with former world No 2 Agnieszka Radwanska suggesting players should not be criticised for pulling out of the Olympics.

Radwanska will be part of the discovery+ coverage of the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris and responding to a question from Tennis365 as she offered up her views on the high-profile absentees.

“You can never tell how the girls are feeling and they will have their reasons for not playing at the Olympics,” said former Polish Olympian Radwanska.

“The tennis schedule is so tight. You have tournaments pretty much every other week and you prepare for that.

“Also, you know that in the year with the Olympics, it’s going to be tough. You have to think ahead about what is going to happen.

“You also have to listen to your body about what is right for you. That’s why it’s hard to comment on a player withdrawing from an event because it as to be about how they feel. They know better than us.

“They are doing what is right for them. It is always an individual thing.”

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Raducanu has admitted that she previously felt compelled to compete at every opportunity in the aftermath of clinching Grand Slam glory aged just 18, but she is now trying to follow a path that will provide the best results for her career rather than following the advice of outside influences.

“It’s pretty natural becoming a different person overnight almost with the circumstances, not necessarily myself, at such a young age,” she said.

“So not in a diva way, I’m just prioritising my body and my health because I know if I’m fit, I know if I’m giving my 100 per cent, I know great things are happening and coming.

“It’s easier to get caught up in it and at one point I was chasing playing too many tournaments and then I was just picking up niggle after niggle in every tournament because I never really gave myself any time to do the training.

“That is something I’ve done a lot better this year.

“Even though I might get challenged or questioned for not playing certain tournaments, like the French Open or the Olympics, that is just part of it, doing things at my own speed and how I want to, rather than how everyone else thinks is best for me.

“Success in the long run is staying healthy. It’s about doing everything I can to avoid training hard but training smart, to stay injury-free.

“I’ve experienced how time flies when you can’t train or play for a long time. It’s not really fun. Success is doing everything I can to make sure I’m in that position to train and stay healthy.

“I have reassessed my goals for this year a few times. I think my goals will change throughout the year. My priority is to develop my game, which means that I probably won’t play too many tournaments this year.”

Former British No 1 Annabel Croft is among those who questioned Raducanu’s decision to pull out of the Olympics in favour of playing in Washington next week.

“I have to be honest, I was very surprised to hear that she wouldn’t want to go there,” said Croft.

“Every player knows her own mind at the time and she has obviously given it a huge amount of consideration and has decided that going from grass to clay and then going onto the hard courts.

“I just hope she doesn’t regret it. I’m sure she will have many other opportunities in the future, but you never know.

“Her body has broken down a few times already, she has had wrist surgeries and ankle surgery and it has prevented her from getting any momentum in her game.”

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