Emma Raducanu REJECTS offer to represent Team GB at Olympics as Andy Murray prepares for fairytale ending at Paris 2024
EMMA RADUCANU has rejected the chance to represent Team GB at the Olympics this summer.
Raducanu will not be in the mix at the Roland Garros tournament after deciding to concentrate on the US hard-court swing of the circuit.
Raducanu is ranked 209 in the world, meaning she missed out on the automatic 64-player main draw.
The former US Open champion could have put her name forward for one of the two ITF quota spots alongside other Grand Slam winners.
But the 21-year-old has turned it down and will instead take time off after Wimbledon before travelling to North America.
Iain Bates, the LTA’s Olympic team leader, said: “Well, we were notified on Thursday that Emma would be eligible for one of those places.
“And I’ve had various conversations with Emma over the last couple of weeks and indeed across a longer period where it is really clear to me how much being part of a British team at the Olympics would mean to her.
“We saw how much that meant to her when she represented the team in April at the Billie Jean King Cup tie.
“But I think she also feels that this is not going to be the right timing for her for this summer.
“I think a lot of that is the late notice of a spot. I think there is the bit around the surface change from grass and clay and hard (courts).
“Everyone is aware of her history and the double wrist surgery from last year – that that places greater stress on her.
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Wimbledon 2024 prize money
PRIZE MONEY for the 2024 Wimbledon Championships is a new record – and puts the grass-court Slam at the top of the tree.
The All England Club will dish out £50million across all the events – an increase of £5.3m and 11.9 per cent on last year, where singles champions Carlos Alcaraz and Marketa Vondrousova picked up £2.35m each.
However, the king and queen of grass this July will collect an extra £350,000 – taking the winner’s earnings to £2.7m.
Here is the breakdown for the 2024 Wimbledon singles prize money:
- Winner: £2.7m
- Runner-up: £1.4m
- Semi-finalists: £715,000
- Quarter-finalists: £375,000
- Fourth round: £226,000
- Third round: £143,000
- Second round: £93,000
- First round: £60,000
- Overall total: £50m
“Also an element of where her ranking is currently and getting to the US potentially and keeping on pushing her ranking back towards where we all hope it will be.
“It is really significant for everyone to see her back at the top of the game.
You always want to have a bigger team at an Olympics because it’d such a cool event, it’s such a great experience for tennis players who play week-in, week-out.
“I think she will get many experiences in the future, come LA hopefully, when she is 25 and a medal shot. From an Olympic team side or as the head of the women’s side, I’m very comfortable with the decision she has made.”
Andy Murray, on the other hand, will compete at a record fifth and final Olympic Games after being awarded a quota spot for the event next month.
Murray, 37 is the two-time Olympic singles champion, having won gold at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics.
At 97 on the ATP world rankings, the Scotsman has not gained direct entry into the 64-player main draw on clay either.
Yet the governing body, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), have two places available for former Olympic medallists and multiple Grand Slam champions.
And Muzza, a former world No.1, has been granted one of those slots for his final appearance at Olympic level.
Murray joins Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans – those three get in on their ranking – while Katie Boulter is the sole British woman in the singles draw.
Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski will play doubles together while Murray and Evans have been nominated as a potential pairing but will await confirmation of that on June 25.
Any mixed doubles pairing involving the Brits will be announced on site in Paris.
Iain Bates said: “Andy has an ITF place. There are two spots reserved for Grand Slam champions or previous gold medallists. Andy has been offered one of them.”
