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Adrian Mannarino, French number one, hard court specialist, did not like that the tennis tournament at the XXXII edition of the Summer Olympic Games in Paris was played on the clay courts of Roland Garros. In an interview with L'Equipe, the Frenchman expressed his disappointment: "The Olympics are incredible for me, but I have to admit that taking part in them without having any chance of winning a medal is ridiculous.
It will be played on clay, so I won't have a chance I'm not saying I don't want to participate, it's not like that, but my career says that I have no chance of medaling on clay. At the Roland Garros I passed the first round three times, but I never went beyond the second.
The truth is that on hard courts I play like a top 30 player, but on clay I'm a top 90 player."
Djokovic and Mouratoglou on the Olympic issue
A few weeks ago there was a back-and-forth between Novak Djokovic and Patrik Mouratoglou on the importance of five-hoop events in tennis.
The French coach expressed himself thus: "There is no real link between tennis and the Olympics because there is no real history between them. From my point of view, any tennis player considers a Grand Slam 100 times more important to him or her than an Olympic event." The Serbian replied, not agreeing with the coach's opinion: "I have read his statements and I do not completely agree with him.
The Olympic Games are the oldest sporting event that exists. Any Olympic sport places the five-hoop competition, at least in my opinion, as one of its top priorities." According to the 36-year-old player from Belgrade "one of the highest honors an athlete can have is representing their country at the Olympics.
The XXXII edition of the Summer Olympic Games will take place in Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024. The red clay courts of Roland Garros, a true temple of tennis, where Rafael Nadal won 14 titles, will be the site of this historic event.
There will be men's and women's singles, doubles and mixed doubles tournaments, bringing a festival of elite tennis to the field.