Will Rio 2016 Lead to a Nightmare Summer for Tennis Fans?

The 2016 Summer Olympics may impact tennis far beyond the shores of Rio. In fact, a slew of withdrawals from the Olympic Games and other major tournaments could spell disaster for tennis fans. 

There’s a growing list of top players who plan to skip the summer games for reasons varying from the Zika virus to in-country conflict. Meanwhile, some top players who committed to participating in the Olympics have withdrawn from ATP World Tour Masters and WTA Tour Premier events.

After being dropped from the Olympics in 1924, tennis was reinstated in 1988. This could be one of the worst summers for tennis since it returned to the games. 

Positioned between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, the Summer Olympics has always presented a scheduling challenge for the International Tennis Federation. But this year’s issues seem specific to Rio.

This past week, Tomas Berdych, Milos Raonic, Simona Halep and Karolina Pliskova withdrew from the Olympics because of concerns about the Zika virus. 

In 2014, Halep spoke with Romania Insider about how important it would be to bring home a medal for her country. She told the Insider, “I hope my results will stay in our country’s history and future generations will remember me. There are two more years to Rio, it is a long period, I don’t know how I will be then physically, but if I will be healthy, I will compete.” 

Now she’ll be a no show. 

Berdych told the Times of India via AFP, “The rest of my life will be 60 years maybe. If something happens, it’s the rest of your life with it. For one week, one tournament, you might have a sad life.” 

Even Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard has expressed concern about the Zika virus. She’s unsure if she’ll attend. 

How many people died from Zika? How many people died from terrorism? Don’t see athletes changing schedule because of that. #theZikaEffect

— Bruno Soares (@BrunoSoares82) July 17, 2016 Brazil’s Bruno Soares accused players of using the Zika virus as an excuse to skip the games.

Meanwhile, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, all slated to compete in Rio, are skipping the Rogers Cup. Serena Williams won’t be defending her title at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati. The Rogers Cup and Olympics are the only tournaments on her schedule prior to the U.S. Open. 

Federer told fans in a statement, “Toronto is one of …

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