As is always the case, the four years between Olympic games just seem to fly by, and as quickly as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were over, the 2024 Paris Olympics are now set to begin.
This weekend marks the official opening ceremony of the event, which promises to be yet another spectacle showing of the very best that the sporting world has to offer.
However, for tennis fans, it is merely another excuse to watch all the best players once again gather to compete for an ultimate honour.
After all, there are no ranking points and there is no prize money on the line. Just glory.
And, inexplicably, one Great British star opted against that, which has stunned her compatriot.
Heather Watson can’t believe what Emma Raducanu has done
The player left baffled is Heather Watson, who is due to play for Great Britain in both the ladies and the mixed doubles in Paris.
Paired with Katie Boulter in the former and Joe Salisbury in the latter, this will mark her fourth games, with her best performance coming in 2016 as she and Andy Murray reached the quarter-finals.
Clearly very patriotic, and having enjoyed her time fighting on behalf of her country, she was therefore stunned that Emma Raducanu opted out of the Olympics in favour of her fitness.
She has since told The Guardian: ‘I can’t really comprehend it, personally because the Olympics is the greatest sporting event in history. So why wouldn’t you want to be a part of that? Anyone in general who chooses not to [participate], I can’t relate.’
Emma Raducanu is prioritising health over the Olympics
Although having come under scrutiny in recent months for her Wimbledon conduct, with Judy Murray firing a dig at Emma Raducanu for snubbing Murray in the mixed doubles, it seems the 21-year-old is doing little to aid her image with the British public.
That particular decision at Wimbledon has really polarised fans, with some supporting her as she stormed into the quarter-finals of the singles draw.
However, others have lambasted how quickly she dropped the legendary Scotsman, only looking out for herself.
With the Olympics, though, she is well within her rights to justifiably opt out of travelling to Paris.
After all, it’s not like she’s not going to have plenty more chances to go to an Olympics, and given her recent return from numerous injuries, the harsh surface change is far from safe.
Going from clay to grass, back to clay and then onto hard cannot be good for the body.
Emma Raducanu, who last year had surgery on both wrists and her ankle, deserves this rest.
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