Italian No.3 Andrea Seppi has shared his opinion about the absence of high profile players from the Rio Olympics.
One of the most notable Olympic absences is Roger Federer, who has has pulled a curtain on his 2016 season due to a knee injury. The 17-time grand slam champion isn’t the only top player missing from the tour. Milos Raonic, Tomas Berdych and Dominic Thiem have all opted to skip this year’s event.
Speaking about the list of absentees, Seppi has described the situation as ‘tough’ but has maintained a rather diplomatic approach to the current situation.
Seppi’s Olympic experience came to an end on Tuesday when he was knocked out in the second round by third seed Rafael Nadal (6-3, 6-3). The world No.71 also competed in the doubles competition with Fabio Fognini, but lost in the third round to Canadian duo Vasek Pospisil and Daniel Nestor.
There is only one Italian man left in the singles draw after Seppi’s exit. Fabio Fognini will play second seed and defending champion Andy Murray in the third round on Wednesday. Italian tennis has endured disappointment at the Olympics. The country has never won a medal in tennis since it was reintroduced to the Olympics in 1988. The only Italian triumph occurred in 1928 when Uberto De Morpurgo clinched a bronze medal.
