Renowned Russian tennis players Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov and Lyudmila Samsonova will not take part in the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, according to Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) president Shamil Tarpishchev, TASS has reported.
The official told the agency that Rublev needs to recover after participating in numerous tournaments, adding that the world number six is not made of iron. Tarpishchev provided no details about why the other two named players would not be heading to Paris.
According to Tarpishchev, the RTF still has several days to complete team selection out and send the list to the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
Earlier this week, the ITF approved all Russian tennis players who qualified for the Games by virtue of ranking. This includes Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov, Roman Safiullin, Daria Kasatkina, Lyudmila Samsonova, Ekaterina Aleksandrova, and Mirra Andreeva.
However, the final approval for taking part in the Games depends on the decision of a commission set up by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which monitors public statements by athletes in support of the government in Moscow.
After the start of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, the IOC recommended that athletes from Russia and its close ally Belarus should not be allowed to compete in international events. In December, the body ruled that a limited number of people from the two countries could participate in the Olympics as individual neutral athletes.
On Saturday, the IOC published a list of the first athletes it deemed eligible to take part in the Games under a neutral flag after assessing cycling, gymnastics, taekwondo, weightlifting, and wrestling. The list includes 14 Russians athletes and 11 from Belarus. The lists from other sports, including tennis, swimming, and judo, are likely to follow within days.
The 2024 Olympic Games will take place in Paris from July 26 to August 11. The Paralympic Games will run from August 28 through September 8.