Belarusian player Aryna Sabalenka indicated on Monday that she will be absent from the Paris Olympic Games this summer.

Sabalenka, the world’s third racket, said on the sidelines of the grass court tournament in Berlin that she made this decision in order to preserve her health and be ready for the season on cement.

“I have to take care of my health, especially after all the troubles that have affected me in recent months,” Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open tennis champion, said at a press conference on Monday. The schedule is way too busy, and I have made the decision to prioritize my health. »

For the first time since the Barcelona Games in 1992, the Olympic tournament will take place on clay. The players who take part will therefore have to make a transition from grass, at Wimbledon, to clay, at Roland-Garros, before making the jump to cement in North America – notably at the National Bank Open, the section of which Montreal will take place from August 3 to 12 at the IGA stadium.

After the National Bank Open, the players will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio, to complete their preparations for the U.S. Open, where Sabalenka was a finalist last year.

On the other hand, former world number 1 Naomi Osaka and Caroline Wozniacki have confirmed their participation in the Olympic tournament.

The Japanese Tennis Federation confirmed Osaka’s selection, as well as that of 2014 U.S. Open finalist Kei Nishikori. This will be Osaka’s second appearance at the Olympics. The holder of four Grand Slam titles has been selected to represent Japan at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

It will also be an opportunity for the Japanese to get her revenge against world number 1 Iga Swiatek on Parisian clay. Osaka had a match point against the Pole before losing 7-6 (1), 1-6 and 7-5 in the second round of the French Open tennis tournament last month.

Wozniacki, 33, will be competing in her fourth Olympic Games. She will be joined by fellow Danes Clara Tauson and Holger Rune (#15). The Danish Tennis Federation confirmed its choices for the Olympic tennis tournaments last week.