The 2024 Olympics have concluded, but Team USA’s top tennis players are dealing with the aftereffects. The Olympics posed training and logistical challenges for the athletes, so many top players like Ben Shelton, Sebastian Korda, Frances Tiafoe, and Madison Keys chose to skip them. In addition, there were no ranking points to be gained from competing, which meant that players lost points by playing in Paris instead of at WTA/ATP events happening simultaneously. The most notable one was the Mubadala Citi DC Open.
The Post-Olympics Struggle
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Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics. Since returning home, they have also enjoyed the joint experience of losing to fellow American and non-Olympian Brandon Nakashima in the early rounds of the Montreal and Cincinnati tournaments. Paul lost to Nakashima in the second round in Montreal. The following week, Taylor Fritz lost to him in the first round in Cincinnati.
On the women’s side, Coco Gauff lost in the Round of 16 to Diana Schnader in Toronto. After the fact, Gauff admitted that she openly questioned whether she should have played in Toronto in the first place because she felt exhausted from the Olympics. Emma Navarro appeared to rebound nicely after a disappointing and contentious loss to eventual gold medalist Qinwen Zheng in Paris. Navarro made it to the semifinals in Toronto only to suffer a shocking first-round loss to Mirra Andreeva in Cincinnati.
Fellow American Danielle Collins has not played since the Olympics because she suffered a heat stroke in Paris that has hindered her ability to train for the hardcourt season. Collins is retiring at the end of the season so she wants to get back on court soon to prepare for her final US Open.
Olympics Adds To A Packed Schedule
The 2024 Olympics “curse” has more to do with the schedule and circumstances than the players. The tennis calendar is packed for 11 months out of the year in a non-Olympic year so the global sporting event adds challenges. In 2024, the challenges included a clay court season culminating with the French Open in early June, a grass court season ending with Wimbledon in mid-July, and a quick pivot back to the clay to prepare for the Olympic competition at Roland Garros.
In a regular year, after Wimbledon players quickly transition to the hardcourt season leading up to the US Open. With hardcourt losses happening in the early rounds after the 2024 Olympics, many wonder how the Americans will do in their home Grand Slam. Coco Gauff is the defending champion. 2023’s “Summer of Coco” when Gauff was red hot leading up to the US Open would have been difficult to duplicate in normal conditions. But the 2024 Olympics posed a bigger challenge for Gauff.
Athletes are disciplined in their preparations so changing them while adding one more surface change during the year is tough. Additional travel across continents and time zones are reasons why fans should lower their expectations for the American Olympians competing in this year’s US Open.
The 2024 Olympics Hangover Exception
USA’s second-ranked woman Jessica Pegula is the exception to the rule. She exited the 2024 Olympics early in singles and doubles but stayed in Paris to watch teammates Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul compete. This early exit for Pegula had a silver lining as she was more rested to play in the National Bank Open shortly after the Olympics.
Pegula has a special connection to Canada because of its proximity to her childhood home of Buffalo. Plus, her grandparents live in Canada. Her Canada connection and being more rested than the other Americans are why she won the National Bank Open in Toronto this year. Perhaps some other American players should learn from her if they want to get a leg up with ATP and WTA points.
