Though there are some noteworthy tennis players who will not be competing in the Rio Games, including "seven of the top 20 men in the July 11 ATP rankings," the "'Big 4' of men's tennis is enthusiastic," according to Howard Fendrich of the AP. The list of players not competing includes Milos Raonic, Tomas Berdych, John Isner, Nick Kyrgios, Bernard Tomic and Dominic Thiem, but Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal "all talk about" the Olympics' "importance to their sport every four years" (AP, 7/18). In London, Barry Flatman notes Britain's Dan Evans "has turned down the chance to play" after Berdych "became the latest of tennis’s big names to cite the Zika virus as the reason he had decided not to go to Rio." Evans "decided to stick with his original plans of playing ATP World Tour events" in Canada and the U.S. rather than play in Rio, and his thinking is "based on the fact that there are no ranking points on offer for contestants." Lleyton Hewitt "has also decided against going to the Olympics as the Australian team's tennis coach" (LONDON TIMES, 7/18). Meanwhile, fifth-ranked women's player Simona Halep on Facebook said she will skip the Games because of Zika. She wrote, "After numerous discussions with doctors and family, I've come to the conclusion that the risks are too high for my sports career and for my health, especially as a woman. Family is too important for me" (FACEBOOK.com, 7/15).
MY TEAM IS ON THE FLOOR: U.S. player Jack Sock said that "it took him approximately one second to say yes to the opportunity" to play in Rio. In K.C., Vahe Gregorian noted Sock "does not expect his family to travel to Rio, though, between the sheer expense and what are sure to be 'complicated' circumstances and logistics amid the financial and organizational turmoil looming there." And as for the presidential election-themed marketing campaign furnished by the Babolat sports equipment company, Sock said that he has "been having 'a blast' with it ever since the first video" (KANSASCITY.com, 7/15).
