Top French Gasquet pulls out of Beijing
PARIS: French No 1 Richard Gasquet on Sunday said he will not take part in the Beijing Olympics joining fellow world top 10 player Andy Roddick in pulling out.
Gasquet, the world No 9, skipped the French Open, which finished on Sunday, because of a knee injury and now he will opt of the Olympics preferring instead to prepare for the US Open.
The season's last Grand Slam tournament gets underway in New York on Aug 25, the day after the Olympics finish.
"In agreement with his coach Guillaume Peyre, Richard Gasquet announces that he will not participate in the Olympics in Beijing," said a statement released by his Team Lagardere organization.
A team source told AFP that the decision was a "professional choice" and that given "his young age" (Gasquet will be 22 on June 18), there will be other opportunities for Gasquet to go to the Olympics "which remains a dream".
Former US Open winner Roddick decided earlier this year that he would skip the Games in order to concentrate on the Grand Slam event.
Fellow American Mardy Fish and former top 10 player Tommy Haas of Germany, a silver medalist in 2000 at the Sydney Games, have also announced they will not go to China.
AFP
(China Daily 06/11/2008 page22)
