Ben Shelton should qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but he might actually skip the event, which shocked the whole room when he said.
The rules for the Olympics are rather simple. The four best-ranked players from a nation get to compete for that nation at the Olympic Games. It's the most prestigious sporting event, so generally, it's accepted that most players who get a chance to play will play.
Still, not everyone shares the opinion because Ben Shelton is leaning towards not playing the event this year, even if he's eligible. He shocked everybody when he said it at the 2024 Indian Wells after his opening-round win, but he went on to explain why he's leaning toward a no.
"Definitely thought about it a lot. I'd say now I'm leaning towards not going this year if I were to make it. I think it's tough in the tennis schedule this year. I'll be in Europe for two months leading up to Wimbledon, and then after, you know, I want to prepare and really get ready for the US Open."
"So having to go back to Europe to play on clay, a different surface, you know, it kind of messes up a few lead-up tournaments to the US Open that I would play if I wasn't playing the Olympics."
This year's US Open will be pivotal for Shelton because a bulk of his points are from that event, so a lot is at stake. He also probably fancies his choices at the event, so good preparation may do wonders for him, especially since the rest of the competition will be grinding on the clay courts.
In that sense, it makes perfect sense for him to skip the Olympic Games, even if it would be a controversial decision. He definitely won't be skipping the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, he knows that already.
But, you know, 100% I would want to play in LA in 2028 which is on the same side of the world as the US Open and on the same surface, but I guess we'll just see. Who knows what happens this summer."