Andy Murray has expressed his disappointment that many of tennis’s leading players have not travelled to Rio de Janeiro to contest the men’s singles Olympic title.
With Stan Wawrinka the latest to withdraw from the Games because of a back injury and fellow Swiss Roger Federer also on the sidelines, the defending champion faces a list of opponents diminished by a series of no-shows.
Half of the men’s top 10 will be absent from Rio, with Tomas Berdych and Milos Raonic withdrawing because of fears over the Zika virus and Dominic Thiem also choosing to skip the event, while there are also question marks over Rafael Nadal’s fitness following a wrist injury.
The withdrawals have clearly left the Scot unimpressed. “It was unfortunate with Roger [Federer] and Stan [Wawrinka]. They are two guys who are great players and capable of winning events like this,” Murray told EPSN after his first practice session on Tuesday at the Olympic Tennis Centre in Rio. “It is a shame they aren’t here, but it is still a pretty strong field.
“A lot of the top 20 players are here, although unfortunately there a few of the top 10 missing, some of them citing Zika as being the reason and a couple of injuries, which is unfortunate. Normally, most players raise their game when they are playing for their country.”
Murray appeared unconcerned by the scare stories surrounding Zika virus that have lead to spate of withdrawals from the top ranks of tennis and men’s golf.
“I spoke to my doctor, and he assured me everything should be OK. Hopefully, I don’t get too many mosquito bites. I don’t think it is too bad at this time of year. Kim [his wife] not coming wasn’t down to health concerns. She was never coming.”
Murray is expected to spend some time in the Olympic village alongside his fellow GB team-mates and is relishing the defence of his 2012 London gold. “It is different playing for your country. The whole atmosphere surrounding an Olympics is different,” he said. “You are around the best athletes in the world, and you want to perform well for your country and your team-mates.
“I remember in Beijing, although I didn’t perform well, it was nice being surrounded by the best athletes in your country and seeing them come back with medals. It feels a lot more like a team environment, and I have enjoyed that throughout my career.
“It is my first time coming to Brazil, and I am very excited to be here. I haven’t played any matches for a few weeks, and I am excited to get going.”
