Breaking News: Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe snub Olympics as US Tennis gives huge supports Due to…
United States team captain Bob Bryan says that he understands why players like Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe are skipping the Olympics.
Bryan says that both players have his full support and remain in the good graces of the USTA.
He would say that he feels that they are missing out on an incredible experience which transcends tennis.
Bryan admits that players who want to be at their best for the US Open would have to think about giving Paris a miss.
“I’m not shocked by any decisions by the players. Everyone’s got their personal journey and individual goals for the season,” Bryan told Tennis.com.
“And going from hard to clay to grass to clay to hard is challenging for anyone.
“If your goal is to peak at the US Open, it might not be the most ideal situation for you.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
“So I support and am behind Ben and Frances, and I understand where they are coming from.
“But for those guys that are going, I think they are going to have a wonderful time.”
After a scaled back experience in Tokyo, Bryan expects the Olympic energy to be back in full force in Paris.
“There’s nothing like the Olympic energy. The Olympics for Mike and I was a huge part of our career. It was very high up the goal list and one of the reasons why we focused on doubles.
“We have some incredible stories from our Olympic experiences and that gold medal is still the trophy everybody wants to hold when they come over to the house.
“So, pumped to be back in a different role and helping the team any way I can and I’m happy that Mike’s coming along for the ride as well.
“But just excited about the opportunity to help the players and I really love the guys that are on the team. I believe in them and think we have some great chances to win some hardware for the U.S.”
More on the Olympic Games from Tennis365
– Carlos Alcaraz knows his place in partnership with Rafael Nadal
– Paris 2024 Olympic Games men’s singles seeds
Bryan feels that the Olympics are really special for tennis players, who won’t often get to rub shoulders with athletes from so many different codes.
“Just walking around the Olympic Stadium in Athens for the first time, shoulder to shoulder with Martina Navratilova,” Bryan recalled of his first Olympic experience.
“And we’re both just giggling like school children. I had my camcorder and then in Beijing getting to go to kind of a pep rally with two Presidents, getting to meet Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Just being around such greatness was inspiring, and it was a progression in our Olympic success.
“We were heavy favorites in Athens and came up one round short. We were supposedly a shoe-in for a gold and came up with heartbreak.
“But during that time we had a chance to see Michael Phelps win his first gold medal, which was really cool. But we left there with a bit of a sour taste in the mouth.
“Then got to Beijing and came away with a bronze which was really emotional because usually in tennis when you lose you go home. This time you have to tie the shoelaces and refocus and try to bring something home and add to the medal count.
“We won a dramatic match against a French team who had beaten us in the Wimbledon final [editor’s note: Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra]. And there was a lot of history with those guys.
“Our coach, David Macpherson, never gets emotional but he was emotional after we won that one. We were smiling ear to ear on the podium and all the way home. And when we got home, the fans said, ‘What happened? Why didn’t you bring home the gold? Michael Phelps won 12 (laughs). What’s wrong with you guys?’ It went from the front of the trophy case into the kitchen drawer, and then we had to shift our sights to London.
“Winning that was really the pinnacle of our career and that feeling carried us on court for a couple of years after just because we were so happy. Any type of adversity on court, down a break, was no big deal. And we had our greatest run.
“We won the gold and then we won the US Open, Australian Open, French and Wimbledon. And it was all fueled by that confidence and great feeling from being on the podium here in London.”
Read Next: Red clay no excuse for American men at Paris Olympics
Leave a Reply