Ben Shelton has chosen to skip the 2024 Paris Olympics, even though he really wanted to play and represent his country.
Many American players, including Shelton, Sebastian Korda, and Frances Tiafoe, surprised everyone by opting out of the Olympic Games. Usually, there’s fierce competition for these spots because representing the US is a big honor.
Shelton loves his country and dreamed of playing in the Olympics. But this year didn’t go as planned .
Reasons for Skipping the Olympics:
Shelton wasn’t happy with how often players had to switch surfaces. They had to go from clay to grass, then back to clay, and finally hard courts for the US Open. That’s a lot of changes in a short time!
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 Ben Shelton | 22 | 2,590 | 19 - 11 |
After many weeks on the ATP Tour, Shelton thought it wasn’t smart to risk getting injured. He saw other players getting hurt and didn’t want that for himself.
So, he decided it was better to focus on his career and long-term health instead of playing in Paris this time around. Fans might think it’s a wise decision given how tough tennis schedules can be.
“Our season is really long,” Shelton said. “See a lot of people getting injured at this time of year.”
“You go from clay to grass to clay to hard in a month and a half,” he added. “I didn’t think that was the right thing for me.”
Shelton knows he’ll have more chances in future Olympics. The next Games will be in Los Angeles on hard courts—much more appealing for him!
He’s aiming for 2028 but knows only four top Americans will get that chance. He hopes he will be one of them.
“Obviously I would love to play for my country in the future,” Shelton said. “It’s something that would be really cool for me.”
“Yeah, it’s a bucket list thing for me,” he continued. “I’m going to try hard to qualify for L.A. in 2028.”
What do you think about his choice? Do you agree or disagree?
