Players vying for gold in France must transition from Wimbledon's grass courts to the clay of Roland Garros, followed by a switch to hard courts ahead of the US Open, which starts on 26 August.

"Staying on one surface is important. The change of surface isn't the best thing for me right now," said Britain's Emma Raducanu. "Switching to clay straight after grass is such a big contrast, then back onto the hard courts. I didn't want to risk anything. For me, this option was just a lot better."

Frances Tiafoe, seeded fifth in his hometown event, finds it difficult to watch the Olympics on TV after opting out of Paris. "Brutal. It's tough," Tiafoe admitted. "More tough just like seeing everybody on the boat and stuff like that. That was a tough day. I'm turning off every TV and social media. That would have been a cool experience. But all the best to those guys."

Tiafoe, who injured his right knee last month, has his sights set on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. "I'm young. I plan to be in LA," he said. "Still trying to get my knee 100%. To go grass, clay, hard court again, I don't think that would have been the smartest thing for me."

Tunisia's 29th-ranked Ons Jabeur is also dealing with a knee issue. "I didn't play the Olympics because of the surface changes, since I have knee problems. It would probably make me not be able to play for the rest of the season. I want to really prepare great for the US Open. So many players had different injuries and chose not to risk it. We'll make it our small Olympics here for the players that didn't make it."

US second seed Ben Shelton, ranked 14th, also opted out of Paris. However, Shelton considers the Olympics a goal: "I'd love to play for my country in the future. It's a bucket list thing for me. I'm going to try hard to qualify for LA in 2028."

World number 22 Sebastian Korda also declined to participate in Paris, having previously said no to Tokyo in 2020. "Tokyo was difficult just because it was Covid. I just didn't really feel comfortable going," he explained. "I felt this year I needed to just play on the hard courts. It's an important time of the year for me. For sure, I would love to make the LA team."

Raducanu, currently ranked 89th, also hasn't given up on an Olympic appearance. "Hopefully I'll have more Olympics in my career," she said.

Spain's Paula Badosa has been dealing with a back injury for over a year. "It's a shame I cannot play Olympics. I think that's the smartest decision," Badosa said. "My back is responding really well. If I keep changing from hard to clay and grass, at the end I can struggle."