Lehecka hasn’t played since retiring in the semifinals of the Mutua Madrid Open.

The priority that tennis players places on competing at the Olympic Games is a hot topic of debate every four years, and it’s no different in 2024. High-profile withdrawals and opt-outs from Paris, from Aryna Sabalenka and Andrey Rublev to Ons Jabeur and Madison Keys, have dominated headlines a month ahead of the tennis competition, which begins at Roland Garros on July 27.

Another player to withdraw is 25th-ranked Czech Jiri Lehecka, but this one came not of his own accord. The 22-year-old penned an emotional statement on social media this week after a lingering back injury ruled him out of officially of his Olympic debut.

“I’m very sad that I won’t be able to compete at the Olympics in Paris next month,” he wrote. “Since I was a little boy watching the Olympics from home, having fun playing with my grandfather, I would have never imagened that I would qualify for the biggest sporting event in the world.

“It has always been a dream for me to represent my country and it was clearly one of my main goals for this season. I’ve done everything I can to have a chance to play, but my body is still not ready to compete at the highest level.”