French number 2 Adrian Mannarino will not participate in the tennis events of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris which will be played on the clay court which he loathes, “unless… winning Roland Garros”, he joked on Friday after his elimination from entry into Rome. “If I don’t win Roland Garros, I don’t think I will participate” in the 2024 Olympics (July 26-August 11), Mannarino said.
On Friday, he was eliminated from the Masters 1000 in Rome by the Chinese Zizhen Zhang (56th in the world) 6-1, 6-3 and has still not won a single match in eight appearances at the Foro Italico on Roman clay.
“I don’t want to be selfish.”
Mannarino, 21st in the world, is virtually qualified for the 2024 Olympics, since he is among the four best French people in the ATP rankings according to the criteria established by the International Tennis Federation. But he prefers to leave his place, without any regrets.
“All the players at my level, we are great competitors, making an appearance, an act of presence, that does not interest us,” he explained. “If I don’t have the sporting means to win a medal and if it’s just to say ‘I made the Olympics’, that doesn’t interest me at all”, continued “Manna”, much more comfortable on hard and grass. “It would also be taking the place of someone who potentially would have a chance of competing well, I don’t want to be selfish.”
However, he has not yet informed the French Tennis Federation of his decision: “I still have the chance to win Roland-Garros, I still potentially have a chance to make the Games,” he said. concluded with a smile.