Welcome to FTW Explains, where FTW explains some stuff that’s going on in the world.
A spokesman for the Denmark Tennis Federation said on Friday that the Danes will back Caroline Wozniacki’s appeal hearing on June 30th. What is she appealing? The fact that as of right now, she can’t go to the Olympics this year. Here’s the deal.
Why is Wozniacki currently not allowed to play in Rio?
She hurt her ankle in April, and had to withdraw from both the Madrid Open and the Italian Open.
Because of her injury, Wozniacki couldn’t play the required two Fed Cup zone group events that players have to compete in to be considered eligible for the Olympics.
Is she back in action now, though?
Yes. This past week at the Aegon Open Nottingham, Wozniacki beat Cagla Buyukakcay in the first round, but lost to Anett Kontaveit in the second.
So what’s the deal with her appeal?
Wozniacki is going to try to get the International Tennis Federation to make an exception. The hearing has been set for June 30, and the Denmark Tennis Federation is going to back her up. Support from her home country isn’t surprising, especially since she’s currently set to bear the flag for Denmark at the Opening Ceremonies.
What are the odds that she’ll be successful?
If the ITF is smart, they’ll let Wozniacki play. They recently handed Maria Sharapova a two-year ban from tennis, and keeping two of the most famous female players out the games probably wouldn’t help viewership. But, as The New York Times‘ tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg pointed out, the rules say that for an exemption from the Fed Cup requirements due to injury, a player must be out for six months or longer.
Unfortunately for Wozniacki, she was only out for two.
What has Wozniacki’s injury done for her ranking?
She’s plummeted. The former world No. 1 was in the top-25 (albeit barely, as she was holding onto the 25th spot) in March. But since hurting her ankle, she’s fallen to No. 34.
