Andy Murray faces an uncertain wait to see if he will make the cut for the Olympic doubles draw alongside Dan Evans as he deliberates over attending his fifth and final Olympic Games in Paris.
Emma Raducanu, meanwhile, has opted out of competing at the Olympics despite also being offered one of the Olympic quota places. Katie Boulter will be the sole women’s singles selection.
On Sunday the LTA announced its selections for Great Britain’s Olympic teams, with Cameron Norrie, Jack Draper, Dan Evans and Murray chosen for the men’s singles team. While the first three singles players qualified through their rankings, Murray, a three-time grand slam champion and two-time Olympic singles gold medallist, secured his singles berth through one of the quota places available to grand slam champions and Olympic gold medallists.
In Great Britain’s doubles nominations, Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski have been selected as a doubles team while Murray and Evans have been nominated but their participation will depend on whether their combined ranking will allow them to make the cut for the draw. The nominated women’s doubles pairings of Boulter and Heather Watson plus Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden will also have to wait and see if their rankings allow them to make the draw.
Although Murray’s singles placement has been secured, he has stated numerous times that he would prefer to compete in Paris only if he has a realistic shot at winning a medal. With his current difficult singles form and the Olympic tournament being played on the red clay of Roland Garros, it is clear the 37-year-old has a better chance in doubles.
“I’m not 100% sure what the situation is there with the doubles yet and whether or not I will play if I just get in the singles,” Murray said in the past week. “I don’t know. My body didn’t feel great playing on the clay in the last month or so. I had quite a few issues with my back, so I don’t know if I would go just for singles. I need to wait a little bit and see on that.”
For much of this year, it seemed likely that Great Britain would be able to send two certain men’s doubles teams, since doubles players ranked inside the top 10 are able to choose any partner as long as they are inside the top 400. Both Salisbury and Skupski had been ranked inside the top 10 until last Monday, when Skupski fell to No 12 in the ATP doubles rankings. These rankings are used to determine the Olympic entry lists.
The LTA had been considering pairing Salisbury with Murray and Skupski with Evans in the event that Skupski had remained inside the top 10, but they eventually had to opt for different pairings. Iain Bates, Great Britain’s tennis Olympic team leader, said the LTA remains confident that Murray and Evans will make the cut, particularly since the extremely complicated Olympic qualification rules favour singles players.
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Draper wins maiden title in Stuttgart
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Jack Draper claimed his maiden ATP Tour title after winning the Stuttgart Open. The new British number one had lost his previous two finals but made it third time lucky with a brilliant three-set win over former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini. Draper showed he has a game for the big stage with a 3-6 7-6 (5) 6-4 win against an opponent who was gunning for a third title in the German city. Victory for Draper moves him up to a career high ranking of 31, which would be good enough to be seeded at Wimbledon. PA Media
The Olympic qualification rules have also played a significant role in the women’s nominations and Raducanu’s omission from the team. As Raducanu’s current ranking of No 209 would not allow her direct entry for the main draw, the 2021 US Open champion was also reliant on a quota place to compete in singles.
There are only two quota places available in each draw, and if three or more champions apply, the players with more major titles or Olympic gold medals have first refusal. It seemed unlikely that Raducanu would receive a quota place with Naomi Osaka, a four-time grand slam champion, Angelique Kerber, a three-time grand slam champion, and Caroline Wozniacki all ranked outside the top 100 and ahead of her in the list. After being unexpectedly offered a place at the last moment, Raducanu opted to turn it down.
“It’s really clear to me how much being part of a British team would mean to her,” said Bates. “We saw how much that meant to her when she represented the [Billie Jean King Cup] team in April. I think she feels that this isn’t going to be the right timing for her this summer. I think a lot of that is obviously in the late notice of the spot, I think there’s a bit around the surface change from grass and clay and hard. Everyone is aware of her history and the double wrist surgery from last year, and that that places a greater stress on her.”
