Dominic Thiem will miss in 2020 Tokyo Olympics

It'd be weird if it wasn't in his home country. But it is.

A 250 or not he clearly prefers the comfort and although he won't say it publicly, his chances on a hard surface in Tokyo will probably be very low anyway.

Olympic Gold is what it is regardless of the sport but I can see a posh tennis player not caring about it because of the Slams.
 
I would play the Olympics just for a stay in the Olympic Village...all those athletes coming together sounds fun...:cool:
 
JasonZ said:
And there are still people who claim olympics are more important than WTF
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xmas2014_1.jpg
 
mike danny said:
Who wants to bet Dominic would be there if it were played on clay?
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He will play in Paris 2024, the Olympic tennis tournament will be played on clay. OG on hard surface he does not attract him.

From article:
“Of course, it’s a bit of a glimpse into the future, because the Olympic Games are in Paris in 2024. I’ll play them in any case.”
 
Enceladus said:
He will play in Paris 2024, the Olympic tennis tournament will be played on clay. OG on hard surface he does not attract him.

From article:
“Of course, it’s a bit of a glimpse into the future, because the Olympic Games are in Paris in 2024. I’ll play them in any case.”
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Who knew Tim would be such a far sighted person!
 
BHud said:
I would play the Olympics just for a stay in the Olympic Village...all those athletes coming together sounds fun...:cool:
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The coming together of athletes after track and field is over would keep you awake at night

I think the term is prophylactics


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The whole situation with all these players skipping it is despicable to me. Representing your country in the Olympics should be one of the biggest honors achieveable as an athlete.
 
Mainad said:
In short, he is not very patriotic and not prepared to represent his country at the most important sporting event in the world. Not everything is about money and ranking points.
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I'm far more sorry to see Davis Cup disappear from importance. I'm not a big fan of the Olympics, and since Donald Trump has made such a big deal about "making America great again", the word "patriotism" no longer has the same meaning to me...
 
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Stilljonesing said:
I don't get it. The Olympics should be held in some of the highest regard IMO just under Slams. You really only get a few chances to win a gold in you entire career which makes them that much more special IMO. That and you are doing it for your country. It seems like the branding alone would make it a must attend event and that not with out a good reason could damage your brand. Passing it up to play a 250 for a 100k champion prize or whatever just makes no sense. It's almost like an FU.
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Tennis is already an international sport... all year-round.
 
It's completely beyond me that he would turn down a chance to represent his country in one of the biggest sporting event in the world.

I know there's no points or money to be made, but surely, once every 4 year, the ability to partake into an event of such significance must count for something?

He really drops a few notches in my esteem with this decision.
 
3lite said:
Yeah, it is.
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No it's not. You are playing for a check in the ATP every couple weeks and the Olympics you are playing for a gold medal for your country that gets rolled into a medal count for each country competing. They are completely draped in the flag in the Olympics. That's all it's about once every 4 years.
 
flanker2000fr said:
Just elaborating on my previous comment, now that I've had a bit of time to think about it.

I guess it just goes to show how spoilt tennis is as a sport, enjoying the level of exposure and money one does when reaching the top of the game. A guy like Thiem probably views the Olympics as just another tournament, with not much to be gained.

Compare that with less popular disciplines, where athletes are working their butts off for little glory or money, just for the privilege of being part of the Olympics every 4 years.
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No to that, and therein lies the confusion: in the so called "less popular disciplines" the Olympics are historically the pinnacle of the respective sport, so participating in them is definitely about the most glory they can get. Not so with tennis.

Also, in the same sports where there is a lot less money involved, the prize money ay the Olympics and especially those where there are WRs on the line are actually a lot of money, so no to that either, and the athletes are participating also to get the money. Not to speak of the additional sponsors they get as result of that (due to the long cycle of exposure as an Olympic royalty (4 years)).

All in all, both groups of sports showcase the same thing: the pro athletes think first and foremost about their career and earnings. A shocker for some fans, apparently.

:cool:
 
Given that he's said he'll play in Paris in 2024 you basically have your answer as to why he's skipping it. And I don't have a problem with it. Personally I'd love to represent my country at the Olympics, but it's Thiem's call, and I have a feeling that if it wasn't at the same time as Kitzbuhel he'd play the Olympics. There's no points on offer at the Olympics either so I'm sure that factors a bit into it.

Also, not sure if I should stir the pot with this next bit, but here it goes anyway. There's also the underlying issue that a lot of people here attach great importance to the Olympics, but not because it's the Olympics, because of trying to compare the records of the Big 4 let's be honest. But none of that matters to Thiem because he will never be that great so I think separating the idea that the Olympics is important because of the overall legacies of the Big 4 and the idea that Thiem himself just doesn't care for the Olympics that much, is important. Thiem could win the Olympics, but it would never be scrutinized and compared to someone else the way it would if any of the Big 3/4 won it.
 
Stilljonesing said:
No it's not. You are playing for a check in the ATP every couple weeks and the Olympics you are playing for a gold medal for your country that gets rolled into a medal count for each country competing. They are completely draped in the flag in the Olympics. That's all it's about once every 4 years.
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You can drape yourself with any flag of choice at any tournament, provided you win.

There is nothing objectively about the Olympics that make it any more special/valuable than any of the current tournaments on the tour.
 
I'd imagine that nationalism is a touchy topic in Austria. You know, given their history with the funny mustaches. Especially for a young guy with a French Slavic gf, wearing the flag might not be so comfortable.
 
The fun will be when at the OG Paris 2024 (on clay) falls out early and his excuse will sound - 'I had no experience with tennis at the Olympics' :laughing:
 
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