(Reuters) – Former Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Olympic champion Andy Murray is set to compete at the Paris Games for Britain, the British Olympic Association said on Sunday. The 37-year-old Scot, who won gold at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games, is the only player to win back-to-back Olympic titles in singles. Murray will […]
Sports
Murray to headline Britain team at Paris Olympics, Raducanu out
Audio By Carbonatix
(Reuters) – Former Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Olympic champion Andy Murray is set to compete at the Paris Games for Britain, the British Olympic Association said on Sunday.
The 37-year-old Scot, who won gold at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games, is the only player to win back-to-back Olympic titles in singles. Murray will be joined by debutants Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans in what could be his final tournament.
Former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu was not included in the line-up. The BBC reported that Raducanu, who is still coming back from surgery on her wrists and ankle last year and was ranked too low to qualify automatically for the team, had turned down the offer of a wild card.
Current British number one Katie Boulter will make her Olympic debut in the women’s singles tournament. Tokyo Games Olympians Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury will compete in men’s doubles.
“The calibre of the team gets stronger with every Games, and it is great to see a mix of returning and first-time Olympians,” Team GB Chef de Mission, Mark England said in a statement on Sunday.
“Andy Murray was our flag bearer in Rio, and he continues to lead by example through his commitment to the Olympic Games and Team GB in what will be his fifth Olympics.”
The Olympic tennis tournament will run from July 27 to Aug. 4 at Roland Garros in Paris.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Kolkata; editing by Clare Fallon)