Vasek Pospisil withdraws from Olympic tennis tournament
Joins fellow Canadians Bianca Andreescu, Denis Shapovalov in decision to skip Tokyo
Vasek Pospisil has decided to skip the Tokyo Games.
In a Twitter post on Thursday, the Vernon, B.C. native says his decision is based on "several factors."
The 31-year-old joins a growing list of tennis players that have opted out of the Olympics, including fellow Canadians Bianca Andreescu and Denis Shapovalov, as well as international stars Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem.
Pospisil is the fourth highest Canadian in the ATP ranking at No. 61. after Shapovalov (No. 10), Felix Auger-Aliassime (No. 15) and Milos Raonic (No. 22).
"To all my fans back home, unfortunately I have decided not to take part in the Olympic Games in Tokyo this year," Pospisil said on Twitter. "Several factors have played into this difficult decision which include an aggravated right shoulder that will need rest to prevent further injury."
😔😔😔 <a href="https://t.co/PyGulp3kNZ">pic.twitter.com/PyGulp3kNZ</a>
—@VasekPospisil"Playing for your country is the biggest honour in sport and going to the Olympics is every young child's dream, as it was mine. I had to be honest with myself that I am both physically and mentally not able to make the trip," he added. "I will go back home to rest, rehab, and spend time with Family and hope to be ready for the hard court swing."
The 2020 Olympic tennis tournament will run from July 24 to Aug. 1
