With the Rio Olympics scheduled to officially begin Friday (the women’s and men’s soccer competitions begin Wednesday and Thursday, respectively), athletes around the world are either making their way to Brazil or getting settled in their new accommodations. But in the case of two Russian tennis players, they’ve run into difficulties in their voyage to Rio de Janeiro.
Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova, ranked 24th and 30th in the WTA singles rankings respectively, were stuck in Montreal as of Monday night. Vesnina took to Twitter to explain the doubles tandem’s predicament, as the delays left them in a position where they needed to simply get to Miami, much less find two seats on a flight from Miami to Rio.
Vesnina and Makarova are coming off winning the doubles title at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, as they defeated Simona Halep and Monica Niculescu 6-3, 7-6 (5) in Sunday’s final. The Russian pair has won a total of 20 doubles titles in their careers, with Makarova laying claim to 13 and Vesnina seven, and while their spots on the singles ranking list are respectable they’re rated even higher on the doubles circuit. Vesnina, who has competed in 19 tournaments this season, is ranked eighth in the WTA’s doubles rankings and Makarova (ten tournaments) isn’t far behind at 14th.
They’re seeded seventh in the Olympic women’s doubles competition, with their first round opponent being announced when the draw is held Thursday and play is scheduled to begin Saturday. Hopefully by that point Vesnina and Makarova will be in Rio, focusing on the competition itself instead of having to worry how (or if) they’ll be able to get to Brazil.
