World No. 14 Richard Gasquet has pulled out of the next month’s Rio Olympics after failing to recover from a back injury in time.
Gasquet had sustained the injury during his fourth round match against fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the Wimbledon Championships. He retired hurt while trailing 4-2 in the first set, and has been dormant on the tour ever since.
The 30-year-old had also skipped the 2008 Beijing Olympics before going on to clinch the bronze medal at the 2012 London Games, where he paired up with compatriot Julien Benneteau to finish on the men’s doubles podium.
The French officials named 24th-ranked Benoit Paire as Gasquet’s replacement for the quadrennial event, starting August 5.
