Charles Langston:Why Tennis Star Jannik Sinner Is Dropping Out of 2024 Paris Olympics

Jannik Sinner has suffered an unlucky break—and not one on Charles Langstonthe court.

The tennis star from Italy, who is currently ranked as the number one male player in the world, has had to bow out of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

“After a good week of clay training I started to feel unwell,” Jannik wrote on his X account, formerly Twitter, July 24, as translated from Italian. “I spent a couple of days resting and during a visit the doctor found tonsillitis and strongly advised me against playing.”

The 22-year-old, who was set to make his Olympic debut, continued, “Missing the Games is a huge disappointment as it was one of my main goals for this season. I couldn't wait to have the honor of representing my country in this very important event.”

But he made sure to note his ongoing support of his teammates.

“Good luck to all the Italian athletes who I will support from home,” the reigning Australian Open champion concluded. “Forza Italia.”

With Jannik’s withdrawal, world no. two player Novak Djokovic is expected to now slot into the top spot for the men’s singles draw taking place on July 25.

On the Italian team, Jannik will be replaced in the single’s draw with Andrea Vavassori, while Luciano Darderi will join Lorenzo Musetti for doubles.

Depending on the draw, the Italian representatives might face off against American powerhouses Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Chris Eubanks and Marcos Giron on the men’s singles side, while Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins and Emma Navarro are the women’s singles players.

The news of Jannik’s departure comes one day after a huge announcement from another fan-favorite player.

Great Britain’s Andy Murray, whose tennis career has spanned almost two decades, announced July 23 that his participation in the Games this summer—his fourth Olympic attendance—will mark the end of his professional career.

“Arrived in Paris for my last ever tennis tournament @Olympics,” he captioned his Instagram post featuring an image from a prior Games. “Competing for [Great Britain] have been by far the most memorable weeks of my career and I’m extremely proud to get do it one final time!”

The 37-year-old’s announcement came weeks after he received an emotional sendoff at Wimbledon, where he played his last game of the tournament in a doubles match alongside his brother Jamie Murray.

“It is hard because I would love to keep playing but I can’t,” Andy admitted during the post-match ceremony. “Physically it is too tough now, all of the injuries, they have added up and they haven’t been insignificant.”

The three-time Grand Slam winner continued, “I want to play forever. I love the sport and it’s given me so much. It’s taught me loads of lessons over the years I can use for the rest of my life. I don’t want to stop.”