LThe Japanese tennis players Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori have been called up for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, a competition that they will be able to compete in thanks to their protected ranking, the Tennis Association of Paris announced this Thursday. Japan.
The qualification for the individual tennis categories at the Games includes 64 players, 56 of which are determined by the ATP (men’s) and WTA (women’s) rankings, while another is secured for the host country and another seven spots are filled at the discretion of the International Federation of Tennis (ITF).
Osaka is currently 125th in the WTA rankings and Nishikori is 286th in the ATP, But both are eligible to participate in this summer’s world event in the French capital thanks to the protected ranking regulations, designed to compensate for the loss of points for players with long-term injuries.
Under this system, in which the tennis player obtains a provisional ranking calculated based on his results three months before the injury, Osaka would be ranked 46th in the women’s world rankings and Nishikori would be 48th in the men’s world rankings. Both Japanese players would have used this system to request their participation in the tournament, according to information collected by the local news agency Kyodo.
Osaka could have also opted to qualify for Paris 2024 by taking advantage of one of the two ITF places reserved for Olympic or Grand Slam champions.
If her participation is completed, it will be the second consecutive Olympic event for Osaka after the Olympic Games. from Tokyo, where she was also the last runner of the Olympic torch relay and the one in charge of lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremony; while for Nishikori it will be his fifth consecutive Olympic event, the most so far for a Japanese tennis player. ANDIn 2016 he won the bronze medal by defeating Rafael Nadal in the third place match.
