The ITF have given Olympic approval to Roger Federer ahead of next summer’s games while Kei Nishikori awaits his fate.
Having not competed in many Davis Cup ties since the last Olympic games four years ago, Roger Federer and Kei Nishikori’s participation in Tokyo has been hanging in the balance.
The criteria states that you must be nominated for a Davis Cup at least two times during the four year something that both Federer and Nishikori have failed to meet.
However in a recent interview, ITF president David Haggerty cleared up both Nishikori and Federer’s situation, “We have specific rules and this is one of the arguments that sets us apart from other competitions,” Haggerty told EFE Agency.
“The Davis Cup is the qualifying round for the Olympic Games. In Kei (Nishikori’s) case, if he plays the first round next year, he will be eligible for the Games.
“In addition, Switzerland has the possibility of nominating Roger to be in Tokyo by a specific criterion: He has been a medallist in the past.”
So for Federer the Olympic dream continues as he has won an Olympic medal before and will look to claim a first singles gold medal in Tokyo next year.
As for Nishikori though, his participation at his home Olympics hangs in the balance as he will miss the Davis Cup Finals due to injury.
Should Japan fail to reach the semi-finals in the re-formatted Davis Cup next month in Madrid, then Nishikori will have a chance to qualify for the Olympics by participating in March’s qualifying event.
The full list for the Olympic Games won’t be known until the 8th of June next year, with the tennis event starting on the 25th of July and ending on the 2nd of August.
The current defending Olympic champion is Andy Murray.
