High-Profile Players Could Skip 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Due to Schedule: “What Will Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic Do?”

The Canadian Open is underway, but Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic are not competing.

High-Profile Players Could Skip 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Due to Schedule: “What Will Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic Do?”

L-R: Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Jannik Sinner (Image via India Today, Vogue, Tennis365)

The 2028 Wimbledon will be wrapped up on July 16. And three days later, the tennis matches at the Los Angeles Olympics will start.

Patrick Mouratoglou, the former coach of Serena Williams, thinks high-profile players could end up skipping the Olympics “either by choice, or by circumstances,” but they would never skip Wimbledon. He took to Instagram and questioned the Olympics for scheduling the tennis matches so soon after the conclusion of the grass-court Major.

The 2028 Olympic tennis tournament will start three days after the Wimbledon final. And what will Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic do? If they were to reach the Wimbledon final, how could they play a Grand Slam tournament and then, three days later, find themselves in Los Angeles?

At the Paris Olympics in 2024, Djokovic beat Alcaraz in the final to win his career’s first gold medal. From Djokovic’s past comments, it’s clear that he will not be skipping the Los Angeles Olympics for no reason. It’s the tournament where he wants to hang up his racket while holding the Serbian flag.

When you’re a champion, you have to win a gold medal at the Olympics. It’s part of your journey. Will they say, ‘Okay, I’ll give up Wimbledon to play the Olympics’? No one will. I don’t understand how these people can think of something like that. They could have, as in previous editions, scheduled tennis in the second week and given the players time to recover.

Patrick Mouratoglou added

Alcaraz made his Olympics debut in 2024. Sinner skipped it because he was diagnosed with tonsillitis.

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Tennis schedule questioned after the withdrawals of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz‘s withdrawals from the Canadian Open were already anticipated. The Serb last played a match in the tournament back in 2018. Alcaraz injured his wrist during the Barcelona Open and has since been sidelined.

Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner
Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via The New York Times, ATP Tour)

Jannik Sinner prioritized his health over the Golden Masters record chase. And now home favorite Felix Auger-Aliassime was forced to withdraw due to a back injury.

Also on the women’s side, defending champion Victoria Mboko withdrew due to an injury she suffered during the Queen’s Club Championships. Players like Emma Raducanu, Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Muchova, and Jasmine Paolini also skipped due to injury issues.

PTPA (Professional Tennis Players Association) blamed the packed 11-month schedule for the injuries of players and slammed the ATP for the expansion of the Masters 1000s.

The evidence is clear: the season is too long, recovery time is shrinking, and injuries are occurring earlier and becoming more severe. Players have been raising these concerns for years. Yet instead of creating more opportunities for recovery, the ATP has expanded more mandatory tournaments to a 12-day format.

The PTPA wrote in a statement on X

Both the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Masters used to be weeklong events. But last year, they became a part of the 12-week Masters 1000s. Sinner skipped the tournament last year as well after winning Wimbledon by beating Alcaraz.

Because the Italian ace is dealing with a knee niggle, he ended up withdrawing from the Cincinnati Masters as well. Last year in the tournament, he retired mid-match in the final against Alcaraz due to an illness. Djokovic has confirmed his participation in Cincinnati, where he will play for the first time since 2023.

After Cincinnati, all the focus of the tennis world will shift toward the last Major of the season, the US Open. Alcaraz, if he returns, will play as the defending champion (beat Sinner last year).

Also read: Elena Rybakina Makes Feelings Clear on No.1 Ranking Goal After Aryna Sabalenka’s Canadian Open Exit