Tennis (Olympic)

Contemplating retirement at the end of 2015, Juan Martin del Potro nearly threw in the towel on a once-promising career sadly halted by injuries.

Several months later, he finds himself on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Hope has imbued the gentle Argentine once again thanks to his inspiring run at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. With a cathartic 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2) takedown of No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the first round, Del Potro announced to the world that he’s still a forced to be feared.

Headed toward becoming another “what could have been” story, that win could instead ignite his comeback as he attempts to construct a successful second act.

Vintage Del Potro showed up against Djokovic. The booming serves. The earth-shattering forehands. The baseline resilience. From the first ball, he had the Serbian on the ropes, using relentless aggression and absurd power to hit Djokovic off the court.

The sport’s greatest returner didn’t offer much resistance to slow the Del Potro blitzkrieg. Forehands that probably registered on the Richter scale sent Djokovic to a shocking defeat in a repeat of their bronze-medal match from 2012, stifling his dream of completing a career Golden Slam.

Nothing could stop Del Potro on this magical day, not even a broken elevator.

"I think this victory, it’s more big for me because I know my present," Del Potro told the New York Times' Christopher Clarey. "I know how tough it was to come back in tennis after my third surgery on the wrist, and I think I played one of the best matches of my career."

When it was over, both men shared an emotional moment at net that spoke volumes about the respect they have for one another:

I am dead. https://t.co/d0wv751r2Z

— Ricky Dimon (@Dimonator) August 8, 2016

A teary-eyed Djokovic sauntered away, leaving a jubilant Del Potro to raise his arms in celebration. After the emotional and physical journey he endured just to play again, this performance showcased the immense talent still brewing inside the 27-year-old.

Before the wrist problems began, Del Potro was already a Grand Slam champion, having outlasted Roger Federer in five thrilling sets for the 2009 U.S. Open title. Later finishing as runner-up at the subsequent year-end finals, he had the look of someone destined for long-term greatness. The Big Four seemed like it would morph into the Big Five.

With his unparalleled power, Del Potro didn't back down when facing tennis royalty like Federer and Rafael Nadal—he took the fight right to them and showed himself a worthy adversary. His trademark tomahawk forehand proved a weapon not even the best defenders could stop. 

But his body paid a price for that early ascent.

Over the next five years, Del Potro would undergo four wrist surgeries, one for the right and three for the left. He essentially missed three entire seasons during that span. 

From 2011 to 2013, he enjoyed a relatively clean bill of health and slowly began regaining his rhythm. Highlighted by that bronze medal and a stirring semifinal performance at Wimbledon the following year, Del Potro was on the verge of winning another major title.

That momentum was ripped away from him at the start of 2014 when he hurt his left wrist. Combined, he'd play only 14 matches the next two years as his career hung on by a thread.

A third operation on that wrist last June nearly sidelined him for good. Yet his love for the game wouldn't allow him to walk away. Even if he had to alter his game, Del Potro was determined to make it work.

He eased himself back into action this past February; his first tournament was the Delray Beach Open. At the time, he sat at No. 1,045 in the rankings. But that didn't matter to him. Del Potro was happy to compete again.

The first few months of his comeback went as you'd expect from a guy returning after such a long layoff. Only recently has he started to show flashes of the old Del Potro.

On the heels of a semifinal run in Stuttgart, he traveled to Wimbledon—the first Grand Slam event he was able to play since the 2014 Australian Open. Though he'd lose in the third round, he'd punctuate his stay there with his first top-10 win in over two years, a four-set bludgeoning of fourth seed Stan Wawrinka.

Still unable to hit backhands with confidence, Del Potro used his slice effectively and frustrated Wawrinka. It turns out that match was just a precursor for what he did to Djokovic in Rio de Janeiro.

Though that backhand wing is very much a work in progress, his serve and forehand are so massive that he can get by anyway. All that tantalizing power, however, masks his greatest asset: his heart.

It was clear by his raw emotions in the Djokovic match just how much the game means to him. He's been through it all, and surviving those experiences made him all the more resilient.

A little over 15 hours later (and after a doubles match with partner Maximo Gonzalez), he followed up the Djokovic upset with a tough three-set win over Joao Sousa. Now, a showdown with Taro Daniel is all that separates him from the quarterfinals in Rio de Janeiro. Claiming another medal for Argentina is a realistic possibility. 

Currently ranked 141st, Del Potro has a long way to go to crack the Top 10 again. With no points on the line, his Olympics result won't move him up any further. But if the level he's displaying is a sign of things to come, that climb took a big first step in the right direction.

All statistics are courtesy of ATPWorldTour.com unless otherwise noted.

Joe Kennard is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.

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Rafael Nadal continues to look comfortable on the Olympic stage, as he knocked off Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-3 on Tuesday to advance to the third round in Rio de Janeiro.

The 2016 Summer Olympics mark Nadal's first tournament action since he was forced to withdraw from the French Open due to a wrist injury. He breezed by Federico Delbonis in the first round and fared well against Seppi. 

Even though Nadal entered the Olympics ranked fifth in the ATP standings, top stars have not had an easy time in Rio so far. Novak Djokovic lost his first singles match, and Venus and Serena Williams lost their first doubles match after winning gold at the previous two Olympics. 

Per Chris Goldsmith, Spanish tennis players have had difficulties at the 2016 Olympics:

Not a good day for Spanish tennis ... Ferrer, Muguruza and Suarez-Navarro all out... at least Nadal is winning #tennis

— Chris Goldsmith (@TheTennisTalker) August 9, 2016

Nadal is no stranger to Olympic success, previously winning a gold medal in 2008, but a lot has changed for him over the last eight years. Being 30 years old in tennis does not traditionally lend itself to great success. He's battled various injuries over the last two years that have hurt his skills. 

Despite the win, Nadal did have a few moments where he looked sloppy. He had two unforced errors while holding a 5-3 advantage in the second set that led to Seppi taking a 40-30 edge in the game and did it once again after taking the advantage. 

The good news is none of those moments snowballed on Nadal to open the door for Seppi to make a comeback. 

Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated was particularly enamored with the way Nadal has played through two rounds at the Olympics:

Nadal cruising v Seppi. Will be interesting to hear him comment on effects of wrist injury because his play level has been superb #rio2016

— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) August 9, 2016

Nadal is a man on a mission in these Olympics. In addition to proving he has a lot of gas left in his tank, he was unable to defend his gold medal four years ago in London because of a knee injury, opening the door for Andy Murray to capture the prize.

If there were any concerns about Nadal's legs being unable to handle the Olympic grind after missing more than two months, Luigi Gatto of Tennis World Italia did note it's not showing through his heavy workload so far:

Nadal since Sunday:
9 games lost in two singles matches
Two doubles matches won

NOT Bad.

— Luigi Gatto (@gigicat7_) August 9, 2016

The key for Nadal moving forward will be his stamina. He's looked terrific, aside from a couple of hiccups that most players will have in a match, and one of his biggest obstacles has already been eliminated—Djokovic—so there is a path to victory for him. 

Things will only get more difficult for Nadal, with Gilles Simon waiting in the third round. Nadal has won seven of their eight head-to-head matchups, though they haven't played since the Indian Wells Masters in March 2015. 

Nadal has been able to work out any early rust he might have had, allowing him to be in prime shape for a long run in Rio as he looks to secure his second career gold medal. 

Post-Match Reaction

Nadal has taken on a difficult schedule considering this is his first tournament back from injury. He's playing singles, doubles and mixed doubles for Spain but explained on the NBC telecast after his win over Seppi the reason why, via Tennis Now:

Nadal on why he's playing dubs/ mixed: "You never know if it's the last Olympics for me, hopefully not. But it's a possibility..." #Rio2016

— TennisNow (@Tennis_Now) August 9, 2016

It would not be a surprise if this were Nadal's last run through the Olympics. He's 30 years old and, as mentioned before, has battled various physical ailments in recent years that don't figure to help him age gracefully in the sport. 

Great Britain's Andy Murray cruised into the third round at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday with a routine 6-3, 6-1 victory over Juan Monaco of Argentina. 

Murray entered the match with a 3-2 record against the feisty Argentine, but he was never in serious danger during the encounter. The battle featured a lot of extended rallies, which wasn't a surprise given the strong defense of both players, but the 2012 London Olympic champion was a step above throughout.

The road to a second straight gold medal is wide open for Murray. Juan Martin del Potro knocked out top seed Novak Djokovic in the first round Sunday, Rafael Nadal isn't in top form, and the other top contenders, Swiss stars Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, aren't playing in the event.

The 29-year-old Scot stated after his first-round victory over Viktor Troicki that his focus in Rio is less about trying to defend his title from the London Games and more about trying to add to his already impressive resume, per BBC Sport:

I will always keep my gold medal. That will always be there. You don't have to give it away. So, it's more trying to win another medal. That builds the pressure, and wanting to do something here. It's sort of the pressure I am putting on myself. I'm not thinking about four years ago.

Murray came out firing on all cylinders, as he raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set. A lot of top players across the tennis spectrum, including in doubles, have struggled adapting to the Rio court surfaces in the first few rounds, but there have been no such problems for the three-time major champion.

Russell Fuller of BBC Tennis commented on the fast start:

Excellent sharp start from Andy Murray. Hitting the ball very cleanly and already a break and 3-love up on Juan Monaco.

— Russell Fuller (@russellcfuller) August 9, 2016

Monaco eventually got the opening set back on serve with a break. Murray immediately broke back, however, and he eased to the finish line of the set to grab complete control of the match.

The second set was even more lopsided as Murray secured a 4-0 lead. He never looked back en route to punching his ticket to Round 3. It's exactly the type of quick match players love in these type of one-week tournaments, when there isn't as much rest time as during the majors.

The No. 2 seed finished the match with 14 winners and five aces to go along with 10 unforced errors. Monaco, meanwhile, was charged with 26 unforced errors, but a lot of those came at the end of long rallies when he just couldn't solve the Murray defensive puzzle.

As Mark Williams-Thomas of ITV pointed out, everything is trending in the right direction for the reigning champion through the first two rounds:

Straight sets win for Andy Murray - 6-3 6-1 to reach last 16 at #Rio2016 . Very easy day at the office - he is looking good

— Mark Williams-Thomas (@mwilliamsthomas) August 9, 2016

Looking ahead, Murray moves on to face the winner of the second-round clash between Benoit Paire and Fabio Fognini in his next match. While he holds just a 1-0 record against Paire and a 2-2 mark against Fognini, he'll still be a heavy favorite, regardless of the opponent.

It's ultimately hard to imagine a scenario in which he doesn't reach the medal rounds, even when factoring in the other upsets in the tennis events so far. And another gold medal is within reach given the lack of top-tier opponents in the field.

Post-Match Reaction

Murray stated afterward that his loss in doubles alongside brother Jamie didn't really alter his singles outlook despite the disappointment, according to Team Great Britain's official site.

"I didn't use the doubles defeat as fuel. It made things harder if anything," he said. "It was a tough loss obviously and the way the match went was really tough so you've got to take it, move on and try your best the next day to win your matches and that's it."

He also discussed the challenges that come with a lack of preparation, though it's hard to tell based on his quick victories in each of the first two rounds.

"I've played a lot of tennis. It's been really hard to prepare here after the French and Wimbledon," Murray said. "I haven't played a match on a hard court for five months so playing two matches every day is not easy on this surface and in these conditions."

All match statistics courtesy of the Olympics' official site.

Following the shocking first-round elimination of top seed Novak Djokovic, play continued in men's singles tennis Tuesday at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, with several of the world's best players in action.

Even with Djoker out of the picture, there was plenty of star power in Brazil, as both Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal looked to continue their marches toward a second career Olympic gold medal in singles action.

Here is a rundown of all of the second-round men's singles results from Day 4 at the Summer Games, along with a recap of how they came to pass.

     

Men's Singles Results

Winning Player	Losing Player	Score
Gilles Simon (FRA)	Yuichi Sugita (JPN)	7-6 (3), 6-2
Evgeny Donskoy (RUS)	David Ferrer (ESP)	3-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5
Andy Murray (GBR)	Juan Monaco (ARG)	6-3, 6-1
Steve Johnson (USA)	Gastao Elias (POR)	6-3, 6-4
Rafael Nadal (ESP)	Andreas Seppi (ITA)	6-3, 6-3
David Goffin (BEL)	Dudi Sela (ISR)	6-3, 6-3
Fabio Fognini (ITA)	Benoit Paire (FRA)	4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5)
Thomaz Bellucci (BRA)	Pablo Cuevas (URU)	6-2, 4-6, 6-3

    

Recap

France's Gilles Simon was the first player to stamp his ticket into the third round, as he overcame a gritty performance from Japan's Yuichi Sugita, 7-6 (3), 6-2.

The Japanese underdog pushed the former Australian Open and Wimbledon quarterfinalist to a tiebreak in the first set, but it was smooth sailing for Simon after he won that, and he dominated the second set.

By virtue of that victory, Simon set the stage for a clash with 2008 Olympic gold medalist Nadal in the third round.

While Simon was expected to advance, that wasn't the case for Russia's Evgeny Donskoy, who upended David Ferrer of Spain in an exciting, three-set affair, 3-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5.

The 26-year-old Donskoy has never advanced past the third round at a Grand Slam, and Tuesday's victory was arguably the biggest of his career.

Ferrer is a former French Open finalist, but as pointed out by Tumaini Carayol of Eurosport, his time as a top singles player may be winding down:

https://twitter.com/tumcarayol/status/763051583382913027

The 34-year-old veteran has suffered through a difficult 2016, falling short of the quarterfinals at both the French Open and Wimbledon, but Tuesday's loss may have been the biggest disappointment to date.

Had he prevailed, Ferrer would have had a solid shot to meet Murray in the quarters.

Murray's remarkable form continued Tuesday, as he ousted Argentina's Juan Monaco in straight sets, and it took him just over an hour to do so.

With Djokovic out of the draw, Jake Davis of Last Word on Sports suggested that the Brit may very well be the man to beat:

Tennis: A comfortable win for Andy Murray, who beats Juan Monaco 6-3 6-1. Definitely proving to be fave for the gold again this week.

— Jake Davies (@jakedavi5) August 9, 2016

That is difficult to argue with considering he is the reigning Wimbledon champion and Olympic gold medalist in men's singles.

He has no Djokovic or Roger Federer to contend with, and if his showing against Monaco was any indication, it will take a gargantuan effort to knock him from his perch.

Steve Johnson entered Tuesday as the last American medal hope in men's singles, and he continued his impressive run by steamrolling Portugal's Gastao Elias in straight sets.

With neither John Isner nor Sam Querrey playing for Team USA, Johnson was the clear lead dog for the United States ahead of Rio.

He has proven worthy of that distinction thus far, and he will be favored to defeat Donskoy in the third round before a possible quarterfinal clash with Murray.

Although Murray is the favorite in Rio, it is entirely possible that Nadal will be the biggest obstacle standing between him and a second consecutive gold.

Rafa looked great again in his second-round match Tuesday, as he breezed past Italian Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-3.

Nadal is in the opposite half of the draw from Murray, which means a finals matchup between the two future Hall of Famers could be on the horizon.

The Spaniard is playing his first tennis since coming back from an injury, though, and Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated seemed to question if his big workload at the Olympics could come back to bite him:

We all love Nadal (and this aspect in particular) but a guy who hadn't played since May is in three draws, (now mixed w/Muguruza)?

— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) August 9, 2016

There is no doubt that the 2008 singles gold medalist is hoping to land plenty of hardware in Brazil, but fatigue could potentially become a problem.

It hasn't set in yet, though, and if he continues to play the way he did against Seppi, another Olympic medal is very much within reach.

If fatigue does become a problem for Nadal, though, Belgium's David Goffin could be the biggest beneficiary after he easily defeated Dudi Sela of Israel in straight sets Tuesday.

Goffin will be favored to reach the quarterfinal where a meeting with Rafa may await. If the jam-packed schedule takes a toll on Nadal, Goffin certainly has the tools needed to take advantage.

He is a strong dark-horse candidate to make it into a medal match, but there is plenty of work to be done before that can happen.

Elsewhere, Italy’s Fabio Fognini defeated France’s Benoit Paire in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).

Fognini dropped the first set but battled back and outlasted Fognini in a lengthy match that included a third set that lasted 67 minutes, per NBCOlympics.com. Fognini earned the victory, but Paire was more impressive with the serve with 10 aces compared to Fognini’s three. Paire also won 74 percent of his first-service points, while Fognini captured 63 percent of his, per NBCOlympics.com.

However, Paire committed 44 unforced errors, which proved to be too much to overcome in the back-and-forth battle that went to a tiebreaker in the third and final set.

Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci also needed three sets in his match, as he beat Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

Bellucci appeared well on his way to an easy victory on home soil with a dominant first set but struggled to maintain that momentum in the second. To his credit, he quickly bounced back and controlled that final set thanks to solid effectiveness with the first serve. According to NBCOlympics.com, Bellucci won 72 percent of his first-service points, which helped him overcome 38 unforced errors.

Cuevas committed 37 unforced errors in what proved to be a sloppy match at times.

    

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Caroline Wozniacki's 2016 Summer Olympics dream came to an end on Monday, as Petra Kvitova defeated the former world No. 1, 6-2, 6-4, in the round of 32 of the women's tennis tournament in Rio de Janeiro. 

The Danish star continued her poor 2016 campaign with another underwhelming outing, putting up little resistance on her way out of the Games.

Elsewhere, Monica Puig booked her spot in the next round, dropping just five games in total to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, as she won 6-3, 6-2. Angelique Kerber stayed right on track, taking care of Eugenie Bouchard, and Lucie Safarova was forced to retire against Kirsten Flipkens.

Here's a look at Monday's results:

Match	Result
Monica Puig (PUR) bt. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) [14]	6-3, 6-2
Petra Kvitova (CZE) bt. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)	6-2, 6-4
Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) bt. Ana Konjuh (CRO)	7-6 (5), 6-3
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) [8] bt. Monica Niculescu (ROU)	Walkover
Angelique Kerber (GER) [2] bt. Eugenie Bouchard (CAN)	6-4, 6-2
Madison Keys (USA) [7] bt. Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)	7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5)
Johanna Konta (GBR) bt. Caroline Garcia (FRA)	6-2, 6-3
Elina Svitolina (UKR) bt. Heather Watson (GBR)	6-3, 1-6, 6-3
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) bt. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK)	3-6, 6-4, 6-2
Daria Kasatkina (RUS) bt. Saisai Zheng (CHN)	6-1, 6-4
Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) bt. Lucie Safarova (CZE)	6-2, 0-0*
Samantha Stosur (AUS) [13] bt. Misaki Doi (JPN)	6-3, 6-4
Garbine Muguruza (ESP) bt. Nao Hibino (JPN)	6-1, 6-1
Laura Siegemund (GER) bt. Shuai Zhang (CHN)	6-2, 6-4
Sara Errani (ITA) bt. Barbora Strycova (CZE)	6-2, 6-2
Serena Williams (USA) [1] bt. Alize Cornet	7-6(5), 6-2

  

Recap

Reigning gold medalist Serena Williams received a stern test from Alize Cornet and advanced in straight sets, 7-6(5), 6-2.

Cornet played excellent defensive tennis in the opening set, with her speed and recovery giving the tournament's top seed plenty of fits. And as Cornet continued to stay alive deep into points, Williams became visibly frustrated.

At one point, she slammed her racket to the court in disgust. NBC Olympics provided a look at the aftermath:

Serena Williams isn't happy 😁#Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/Vy7LdPRjgu

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 8, 2016

Williams survived two set points to win the opening set in a tiebreaker. Cornet was unable to maintain her level of performance from the first set and put up little resistance in the second.

Kvitova has been in fine form of late and wasted little time finding a rhythm against Wozniacki, taking the first four games of their match with excellent baseline tennis. The former world No. 2 flashed her tremendous power in the rallies, and Wozniacki simply couldn't keep up.

The Record's Jose Morgado was impressed:

So good from Petra. 4-0.

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) August 8, 2016

Kvitova's serve was a little shaky, however, and Wozniacki pulled a break back to bring some excitement to the first set, but her opponent responded immediately and served for the set after just 40 minutes.

Just a few minutes later, the first set was over, and Morgado was still blown away:

One of the best sets of tennis Petra Kvitova played all year. 6-2 on Wozniacki. #Rio2016

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) August 8, 2016

Wozniacki took the opening game of the second set, but her game soon fell apart again, with Kvitova grabbing a break in the third game. Wozniacki fought back to a 5-4 score before Kvitova slammed the door on her comeback attempt.

The loss is yet another setback for Wozniacki, who has struggled with injuries in 2016 and has tumbled out of the top 40 completely.

Puig cruised to the round of 16 with an easy win over Pavlyuchenkova, becoming the first player to book passage to the next round. Svetlana Kuznetsova earned a free pass into the third round as a result of Monica Niculescu withdrawing from the competition.

Kerber bounced back from a rough start to beat Bouchard, who ran out to a quick 4-1 lead in the first set before her opponent found her groove. Per Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated, she finished strongly:

Kerber wins 11 of last 13 games over Bouchard to advance. Here comes @delpotrojuan barely 15 hours after knocking off Djoker ...

— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) August 8, 2016

The German star wasn't at her best in the first round and showed more signs of weakness against Bouchard, but her second-set showing indicates she's starting to find her form. If she does, she's a strong candidate to medal in this year's event.

The British stars had a bit of a mixed day, as Heather Watson lost in three sets to Elina Svitolina and Johanna Konta shocked Caroline Garcia.

But there was an even bigger upset in store, as Flipkens continued her Cinderella run with a win over Safarova. The Belgian won the first set 6-2 and watched as her opponent failed to come out for the second set. It's unclear whether Safarova will still be active in the doubles tournament.

Garbine Muguruza wasted little time getting past Japan's Nao Hibino, as the Spanish star dropped just two games. The Roland Garros winner is another strong contender for the gold medal.

Simona Halep, the world's No. 5 women's tennis player, withdrew from the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Friday.   

According to BBC Tennis, the Romanian cited the Zika virus as her reason for not representing her country in August:

Simona Halep withdraws from the Rio Olympics, also due to Zika. Here's her reasoning 👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/BOfOh2kEjk

— BBC Tennis (@bbctennis) July 15, 2016

According to BBC.com tennis correspondent Russell Fuller, Halep is the highest-ranked women's tennis player to withdraw from the Olympics and the first to admit the virus was the reason. 

In a women's game Serena Williams dominates, Halep has been a prevalent name within the tennis landscape over the past two years. 

Since 2014, she has made the quarterfinals in each of the four Grand Slam tournaments, including an appearance at the French Open final two years ago against Maria Sharapova, which she would lose in three sets. 

In 2016, Halep collected a win at the Madrid Open before falling to Samantha Stosur in the round of 16 at the Australian Open. She also made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon before falling to eventual finalist Angelique Kerber. 

Halep hasn't been the first big name to withdraw from the Olympics due to concerns regarding the Zika virus. The world's No. 7 men's tennis player, Canadian Milos Raonic, who lost to Andy Murray in the Wimbledon final, also withdrew from the Olympics on Friday because of the virus, via Fuller. 

While Halep's absence will hurt women's tennis at the Olympics, other sports will suffer more from key withdrawals. For example, golf fans won't see Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson or Rory McIlroy at the Olympics, as they all expressed health concerns about Brazil, via CNN.com. 

But for Romanians, they just lost one of their best chances at an individual medal at the Summer Olympics, as the event continues to lose some of its best athletes. 

    

Stats courtesy of WTATennis.com.

Fresh off a defeat at the Wimbledon finals, Milos Raonic has withdrawn from the 2016 Olympics. 

In a post on his official Facebook page, Raonic explained that his primary reason for not going to Rio de Janeiro is due to concerns about the Zika virus:  

Per the Canadian Press (via SportsNet.ca), Tennis Canada president and CEO Kelly Murumets released a statement regarding Raonic's decision: "We fully respect Milos’ decision as we are sure this is not one he made easily. Milos represents Canada proudly week after week around the world and we look forward to future opportunities for him to join Team Canada again on the court."

Raonic is the latest in a long line of athletes to withdraw from this year's Olympics due to concerns about the Zika virus.

Newsday documented some of the athletes who have already announced they will not go to Rio specifically because of the uncertainty around the Zika virus. The list is made up primarily of golfers, including Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy, with Raonic and cyclist Tejay van Garderen being the two non-golfers. 

Per Maggie Fox of NBC News, "people attending the Olympics in Brazil next month are unlikely to accelerate the spread of Zika virus around the world, U.S. federal health officials said."

Fox's report also noted that August is a winter month in Rio and "mosquitoes that carry Zika are not very active in the cool, dry winter months."

There are three weeks before the 2016 Olympics kick off on August 5. Athletes are taking what they believe to be necessary safety precautions in an effort to ensure their long-term health. 

Raonic's absence from tennis does weaken the field, especially since he is Canada's best hope for a medal in the men's singles competition. However, he's just 25 years old and should have more opportunities at Olympic success in the future.