In a recent interview, Coach Brad Gilbert expressed his frustration over the bizarre withdrawal and alternates situation at the Paris Olympics. He didn’t hold back in his criticism, labeling the whole scenario as “ridiculous.” Gilbert went on to suggest that moving forward, there should always be a few alternates on site to avoid such issues. He also proposed that late withdrawals should face some form of sanction to prevent players from pulling out at the last minute.
Leading up to the Paris Olympics, there were a number of high-profile withdrawals, including world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist Hubert Hurkacz, and former world No. 4 Rune. Once the tournament began, even more players, such as Alex de Minaur and Cameron Norrie, announced that they were not prepared to compete.
Under the current rules, withdrawals after July 19th could only be replaced by doubles players who were also participating in the Olympics. This led to some surprising names appearing in the singles event, such as Matthew Ebden, Francisco Cabral, and Petros Tsitsipas. Unfortunately, these players were not able to make a significant impact and were swiftly eliminated from the competition. Ebden, who had not played a singles match in two years, Cabral, primarily a doubles player ranked as No. 862 in singles, and Tsitsipas’ brother Petros, who focused on doubles and never reached the top 700 in singles, struggled against their more experienced opponents.
Former US Open champion Andy Roddick also weighed in on the situation, taking to social media to criticize the selection of alternates. “The Olympics singles alternate situation is ridiculous. Players that don’t even/can’t play singles at highest level getting the call is dumb,” Roddick tweeted. Gilbert, who had coached Roddick in the past, echoed his sentiments, fully agreeing with the sentiment.
With the Tokyo Olympics completed, it is clear that there are some flaws in the current system that need to be addressed before the next major event. Coaches, players, and fans alike are hopeful that the powers that be will take note of these concerns and make the necessary changes to ensure a fair and competitive tournament for all participants.
