Caroline Wozniacki was chosen to be the flag-bearer for her nation of Denmark in the Rio Olympics this August. But her Olympic hopes may be in jeopardy due to missed requirements. The Dane has her unfortunate ankle injury to blame, which ultimately put the 25-year-old in this position.
Wozniacki meets ranking eligibility but hurts ankle nine days before required competition
Olympic Games eligibility for tennis states that your ranking must fall in the top 56 with no more than four players per country in each draw. Wozniacki would have no issue with the ranking demands as she sits at 34 on the WTA’s singles rankings. In fact, she is the only Danish player in the top 400 which would almost guarantee her position in the draw. But the rules also state that it is a must to participate in Fed Cup competition for at least two years from 2013-2016 with one of the years having to be 2015 or 2016.
The Danish number one has made one Fed Cup appearance during the four-year span. Wozniacki suited up her nation’s colors in 2015 before helping Denmark get a promotion to Europe/Africa Group II. The two-time US Open finalist was scheduled to make the trip to Egypt with the Danish Fed Cup team, but Wozniacki rolled her ankle in practice nine days before she planned to play in Fed Cup competition. With missing the ties in 2016, Wozniacki made herself ineligible for the 2016 Olympic Games, but the Dane had plans to overturn her ineligibility.
25-year-old appeals against ITF’s ruling
Wozniacki has the support from her nation’s Olympic committee. The world number 34 argued to the ITF that their decision was unfair considering she missed required competition due to an unplayable injury that saw her out of the game for more than two months. But many tennis experts are unsure on which direction the hearing will go as the injury rules state that you must be out for a minimum of six months, wherein Wozniacki’s case she had just been off tour for two. Wozniacki’s hearing will be held on June 30th, and Wozniacki will have much support from Denmark’s Tennis Federation throughout the process.
