Why Is Shelton Skipping The Olympics?

Chalkdust

Professional
Tennis players don't get any ranking points or prizemoney for the Olympics do they?
So why bother?
Unless you're super patriotic or a nationalist or something.
 

boredone3456

G.O.A.T.
Maybe he'd rather focus on the summer hardcourt swing in the US given his form then go out of his way to go back to playing on clay for a week (where he isn't like to be a factor anyway I don't care what his ranking is). The Olympics weren't even an option for tennis players for like 60 years anyway (it only became a medal sport again in 1988)...and even in the 90's most of the top players never played it. If he doesn't want to play, I don't blame him. We all know he wasn't winning anyway.
 

emkayenaim

Rookie
The Olympics is a much bigger deal for small countries. If Djokovic won a gold medal for Serbia it would be huge. If Shelton won a tennis OGM it wouldn't even make a ripple in American news, nobody cares.

At the 2020 summer Olympics, the US won 113 medals, Serbia won 9, Spain won 0. That puts it into perspective.

Olympics for Americans is really just track and field and swimming. Olympics tennis is a joke to Americans, it wasn't even televised in 2016 or 2020.

Apart from this, the sentiment of "playing for your country" is rarely a thing among tennis players unlike in, say, badminton (though they still have the association system that tennis ditched decades ago).
 
Because they are in France and he is a True American[sup]TM[/sup].

Isn't clay is his worst surface? He probably thinks it is better for his career to focus on repeating the 2023 USO performance.
 

BeatlesFan

Bionic Poster
Olympics is irrelevant.
Except to the players themselves and you can exclude most American tennis players from that. Again, Olympics tennis isn't even televised here, it's a total non-event. The last time any interest was shown here was in 2012 when Fed played the final against Murray. Fed's popularity was the reason.
 
It is a bad decision. A once in a lifetime opportunity to medal for America.

Somebody talk some sense into this guy.
:unsure:

All athletes would like to participate in the Olympic Games at least once, but this is not the case for all tennis players, as also revealed by US rising star Ben Shelton.

"I've thought about it a lot. At the moment I can say that I'm quite inclined not to go this year, in case I qualify. I think they fit into the tennis schedule in a complicated way."

He has virtually no chance of winning a medal on clay, so I can understand him giving up the slot for someone who is more proficient on the surface, which has the side effect of enabling him to get matches and practice in on hard courts and do well in the US Open series.

Then again, most American players are not great on clay, so perhaps he is one of the three best, in which case I take your point.
 

augustobt

Legend
Ridiculous. The Olympics are a once-in-a-lifetime event, an honor and privilege for any athlete. It makes absolutely no sense to miss it, unless you are Ruud, who missed it in 2021 to feast on field-depleted ATP 250s on clay

But man, how can anyone even think of not being in the Olympic Village at the age of 21 to what, play Winston-Salem Open or Washington? If you can't understand why I find this outrageous, I'm gladly not you
 

neytron

Semi-Pro
The Olympics is on the decline. TV ratings continue to plummet as it's losing relevance to incoming generations who have view it as highly corrupt, wildly expensive, and simply not interesting enough to get them off their cell phones. It's really a shame for all the amateur athletes that commit so much of their lives preparing for them as they are the ones that have paid the price for all the corruption and mismanagement.
The Olympics have also become too politicized. As for all withdrawals from the Olympics, this is a common thing for tennis. So it's difficult to put this tournament even above the Masters.
 

MeatTornado

Talk Tennis Guru
No, i do not think that any top30 player should skip wimbledon in favor of OG if they arer not injured.
But this is the problem. A lot of those injuries those players pulled out for were sustained in the grass season. Because the schedule isn't built around the Olympics since it's only every 4 years, it's too quick a turnaround for some of them after the grind of RG-Wim, with the USO still to plan for afterward.

It's just unfortunate timing more than genuinely not caring about the event.
 

GoatNo1

Hall of Fame
But this is the problem. A lot of those injuries those players pulled out for were sustained in the grass season. Because the schedule isn't built around the Olympics since it's only every 4 years, it's too quick a turnaround for some of them after the grind of RG-Wim, with the USO still to plan for afterward.

It's just unfortunate timing more than genuinely not caring about the event.
no, when RG 2020 was moved to late September in the middle of the covid pandemic, the largest number of healthy people played, I even think that at that time they had protected points if they did not play and there were no mandatory tournaments.
simply OG are a smaller tournament without tradition, points, cash prizes and not too much prestige. the largest number of them who play do it for patriotic reasons, like, for example, DC. Slams are consistently far above OG in everything.
 

uscwang

Hall of Fame
The Olympics is a much bigger deal for small countries. If Djokovic won a gold medal for Serbia it would be huge. If Shelton won a tennis OGM it wouldn't even make a ripple in American news, nobody cares.

At the 2020 summer Olympics, the US won 113 medals, Serbia won 9, Spain won 0. That puts it into perspective.

Olympics for Americans is really just track and field and swimming. Olympics tennis is a joke to Americans, it wasn't even televised in 2016 or 2020.
Make 17 for Spain.
 

bluetrain4

G.O.A.T.
Every Olympics you see players skip it in favor of something else

This shouldn't be a surprise. Some players don't care about the Olympics at all, while some others see it as one of the most important events in their career
Lindsay Davenport said she considers her gold another major - and that was 1996 before tennis fans and commentators really ramped up considering Olympics to a large degree in ATG and GOAT debates. But yeah, players have different views on how much it means to them, which shouldn't be surprising. And now there's no ranking points as there was for a few Olympics.
 

Better_Call_Raul

Hall of Fame
Of course.. Transwomen are getting ready to take over the men's sports, including tennis, in the next couple of years. Didn't you hear? Women are just as capable and strong as men. So there won't be any men's olympic tennis for Shelton to participate in.

The future of Olympics is uncertain. Russia has the best tennis players in the world but it is banned.
The world is on fire. WWIII could break out at any time. And we have not even mentioned possible injuries.
The Olympics must always be treated as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

A young healthy Djoker, Rafa, Fed, and Murray would never skip the Olympics. It would be unthinkable.
Indeed, the Big Four were all at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

A true elite player would show up. This is just not a good look for Shelton.
 
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Chalkdust

Professional
The Olympics must always be treated as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
For some sports, yes.
In some sports, Olympics is the highest goal athletes aspire to.
Because this is the only time they get watched. The only time they get recognition.
How many people watch and follow swimming, diving, gymnastics, track and field, outside of the Olympics?
And those are the MAJOR Olympic sports!
How about Canoe Slalom and Trampoline? Fuhgeddaboudit!
So yes, for some sports, Olympics is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Tennis is not one of these sports.
 
The future of Olympics is uncertain. Russia has the best tennis players in the world but it is banned.
The world is on fire. WWIII could break out at any time. And we have not even mentioned possible injuries.
The Olympics must always be treated as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

A young healthy Djoker, Rafa, Fed, and Murray would never skip the Olympics. It would be unthinkable.
Indeed, the Big Four were all at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

A true elite player would show up. This is just not a good look for Shelton.
Is this is part of your portfolio for the Mirror?
 

captainbryce

Hall of Fame
Each country can send up to four players and his high ranking easily qualifies.
He is hesitating because he absolutely sucks on clay (FAA destroyed him in Paris).
The Paris Olympics is only a week. This lazy clown needs to show up and play for his country.
Compare and contrast with Spain's Martinez who is extremely upset at being bumped off the team by the lower ranked Rafa.

A 21 year-old is not capable of playing a couple of doubles matches? Please. It is inexcusable.

"I've thought about it a lot. At the moment I can say that I'm quite inclined not to go this year, in case I qualify. I think they fit into the tennis schedule in a complicated way."

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With that serve, he is a doubles threat on any surface.
I’m sorry but this is the most contradictory comment I’ve seen so far. He sucks on clay, therefore he’s being lazy and needs to show up for his country? What kind of senseless line of reasoning is this?

He doesn’t need an excuse to NOT GO to a non-mandatory tournament. Why does he need to play for his country? These people play for money! And if he has a better chance of winning a smaller, lucrative hard court even at home than he does by traveling to a tournament he has no chance of winning, then what would be the point? How is that lazy? None of what you just said makes any sense.
 

Better_Call_Raul

Hall of Fame
These people play for money!

The Olympics and the world exposure can often be far more lucrative than any Slam win.
Ask Zed who earned millions more from his 2020 Olympics Win than the 2020 U.S. Open Finals.
Not even close. So you've got that all dead wrong.



He sucks on clay, therefore he’s being lazy and needs to show up for his country? What kind of senseless line of reasoning is this?

Shelton is being touted by many here as the next great player. Possibly ready to join Alcaraz and Sinner.
With that serve, he is at least a Doubles threat against Rafa/Alcaraz.
Elite healthy players do not skip the Olympics at age 21. The Big Four all showed up at 2008 Olympics.

How does the hapless Shelton pass up the opportunity to go up against Rafa/Alcaraz on the world stage?
:unsure:
 
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I’m sorry but this is the most contradictory comment I’ve seen so far. He sucks on clay, therefore he’s being lazy and needs to show up for his country? What kind of senseless line of reasoning is this?

He doesn’t need an excuse to NOT GO to a non-mandatory tournament. Why does he need to play for his country? These people play for money! And if he has a better chance of winning a smaller, lucrative hard court even at home than he does by traveling to a tournament he has no chance of winning, then what would be the point? How is that lazy? None of what you just said makes any sense.
Maybe the argument is that since all American male players suck on clay it is his responsibility as the greatest hope for the country to step forward at the Olympics.
 

dkmura

Professional
Interesting that only Shelton is being criticized for skipping the US Olympic team. Seb Korda and Frances Tiafoe also declined the honor and will use the time to prepare for the USO and the rest of the season.
 

kevaninho

Hall of Fame
and his GF is in the Olympics.

I guess he figured out:
- Euro clay is a lot harder than American har-tru.
- there's at least 5 clay court players that are levels above him.
He shines on US hard courts.

How about we fix your statement to 'he shone' on US hard courts one time , so far.

Bit early to be claiming hes guaranteed to go deep , when hes only ever been past a 4th round twice on US soil.
 

Alcawrath

Professional
The Olympics must always be treated as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
I'm not trying to be antagonistic. I'm genuinely curious. Why do you think this? What makes the Olympics so important compared to the normal ATP calendar that is already an international competition?
 

Bill Lobsalot

Hall of Fame
The Olympics were much more relevant when all the athletes were amateurs. A college or junior tennis player would be fighting for a spot in the Olympics.
 

Better_Call_Raul

Hall of Fame
I'm not trying to be antagonistic. I'm genuinely curious. Why do you think this? What makes the Olympics so important compared to the normal ATP calendar that is already an international competition?

Olympics must always be treated as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Is it more important? That is left to each individual player.
Zed is the defending Olympics champion and he is making it top priority this year. Above any Slam..


"I think the Olympics are always very, very special," added Zverev.

"It is probably the biggest event of the year, in my opinion, in my eyes, because the Olympics is once every four years. It is special in that regard.

"I'm definitely looking forward to being in the Olympic Village again," and "being in these smallish apartments where you're all together, just enjoying the time. That's what I did in Tokyo. Kind of worked out very well," he said.
 
Olympics must always be treated as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Is it more important? That is left to each individual player.
Zed is the defending Olympics champion and he is making it top priority this year. Above any Slam..


"I think the Olympics are always very, very special," added Zverev.

"It is probably the biggest event of the year, in my opinion, in my eyes, because the Olympics is once every four years. It is special in that regard.

"I'm definitely looking forward to being in the Olympic Village again," and "being in these smallish apartments where you're all together, just enjoying the time. That's what I did in Tokyo. Kind of worked out very well," he said.
I thoroughly struggle to understand the concept of positioning Zverev as a moral counterweight.
 

captainbryce

Hall of Fame
Maybe the argument is that since all American male players suck on clay it is his responsibility as the greatest hope for the country to step forward at the Olympics.
I don’t buy that argument. Even if it was true that ALL American male players suck on clay (which is a claim I’m already skeptical of to begin with), the logic still does not follow. Why would you expect someone “who sucks” on that surface to “step forward” on that surface? It just doesn’t make any logical sense.

It would make more sense to say that he should step up in Los Angeles when the event would presumably be played on a surface he doesn’t suck on and is a home soil event potentially giving him extra exposure and notoriety at home if he does well. Wouldn’t that be the time to “step forward” for your country?
 

captainbryce

Hall of Fame
The Olympics and the world exposure can often be far more lucrative than any Slam win.
Ask Zed who earned millions more from his 2020 Olympics Win than the 2020 U.S. Open Finals.
Not even close. So you've got that all dead wrong.





Shelton is being touted by many here as the next great player. Possibly ready to join Alcaraz and Sinner.
With that serve, he is at least a Doubles threat against Rafa/Alcaraz.
Elite healthy players do not skip the Olympics at age 21. The Big Four all showed up at 2008 Olympics.

How does the hapless Shelton pass up the opportunity to go up against Rafa/Alcaraz on the world stage?
:unsure:
The Olympics CAN BE more lucrative IF the person actually had a snowballs chance in hell of winning. But this is not the case for a player like Shelton, and despite who here is touting him as the next great player, at least he himself has a more realistic take. As cocky as he is, he doesn’t appear to be stupid or naive enough to think that this is a lucrative venture for him. I would think he’s in a better position to determine what is good for his career (based on his current level of development) than any of the fanboys here questioning his decisions. Nobody except the most naive people in the world actually believes that he could win the Olympics. This includes himself! The only thing he could do is embarrass himself, and miss out on the opportunity of winning and profiting from an event that’s actually realistic. He obviously realizes that going to the Paris Olympics would be a zero sum game, so he’d only be doing it just to appease some fanboys or traditionalists.
 

Olli Jokinen

Hall of Fame
The Olympics is a much bigger deal for small countries. If Djokovic won a gold medal for Serbia it would be huge. If Shelton won a tennis OGM it wouldn't even make a ripple in American news, nobody cares.

At the 2020 summer Olympics, the US won 113 medals, Serbia won 9, Spain won 0. That puts it into perspective.

Olympics for Americans is really just track and field and swimming. Olympics tennis is a joke to Americans, it wasn't even televised in 2016 or 2020.
Spain won 17 medals.
 
I don’t buy that argument. Even if it was true that ALL American male players suck on clay (which is a claim I’m already skeptical of to begin with), the logic still does not follow. Why would you expect someone “who sucks” on that surface to “step forward” on that surface? It just doesn’t make any logical sense.

It would make more sense to say that he should step up in Los Angeles when the event would presumably be played on a surface he doesn’t suck on and is a home soil event potentially giving him extra exposure and notoriety at home if he does well. Wouldn’t that be the time to “step forward” for your country?
The concept is that someone still has to carry the flag for the country. It then sets up the redemption narrative arc for 2028.

But yeah I agree with you, except the part where you doubt that all American male players suck on clay, which I think is plenty supported by recent evidence.
 

Youngheart

Semi-Pro
Olympics is tainted and he doesn't want a part of it.
One of the reasons that it seems "TAINTED," is because the IOC gets its self messed up in politics.
We have Russia sending athletes as AIN (Individual Neutral Athletes) with no flag or team sports.
That's okay, but the IOC really dropped the ball, by not including Isreal in the same restrictions!!
Maybe the heavy hand of America obscured the view of equality from the windows of the IOC.
Whether or not Shelton wants to go, is "small potatoes" -- not so important to the Olympics.
 
One of the reasons that it seems "TAINTED," is because the IOC gets its self messed up in politics.
We have Russia sending athletes as AIN (Individual Neutral Athletes) with no flag or team sports.
That's okay, but the IOC really dropped the ball, by not including Isreal in the same restrictions!!
Maybe the heavy hand of America obscured the view of equality from the windows of the IOC.
Whether or not Shelton wants to go, is "small potatoes" -- not so important to the Olympics.
Israel was attacked first and is not engaged in the conflict with the stated aim of territorial acquisiton. These are obvious points of distinction independent of other considerations.
 

Youngheart

Semi-Pro
It's clear for everyone to see, that the IOC is not equally fair in the restrictions on countries currently at war.
I could continue, but the stubborn deep political bias in people makes debate completely useless.
(And our friendly TW doesn't want us to rant on and on, without a clear connection to tennis.)
The days of Olympics comes & goes fairly quickly, and then Shelton will have a busy life in other tournaments.
 
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