Mari Percy

On Saturday afternoon, 21-year old American Ben Shelton reached the fourth round at Wimbledon with a five-set victory over Denis Shapovalov. It’s the third time in just eight career Grand Slams that Shelton, a former NCAA champion at Florida, has reached the second week.Roger Federer didn't do that so early in his career. Neither did Rafael Nadal nor Novak Djokovic.That doesn’t mean Shelton is destined to achieve those heights, much less win a single Grand Slam title. The climb from where he is to where he wants to go is brutally difficult. At this level of professional tennis, nothing is guaranteed.But Shelton’s results at Wimbledon this year continue a trend that has been obvious since he turned pro in the fall of 2022: The bigger the tournament, the better he plays.So why won't see see him in a few weeks at the Paris Olympics?The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.Shelton, along with fellow Americans Frances Tiafoe and Sebastian Korda, elected to skip the Olympics to enter hard court tournaments in America. And they're not the only ones. Top World News Today-30 players such as Andrey Rublev (Russia), Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria), Karen Khachanov (Russia) and Adrian Mannarino (France) are skipping the Olympics on the men's side, while the women's event will be missing No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus), No. 10 Ons Jabeur (Tunisia) and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu (Great Britain).The number of high-profile absences pretty much says it all about what a strange place the Olympics occupies in the tennis calendar.On one hand, being part of the Olympics is a rare and highly-treasured opportunity that resonates internationally beyond the typical tennis audience. At the same time, nearly any tennis player would tell you that their primary goal is to win one of the four Grand Slams, and wedging the Olympics between Wimbledon and the US Open is not necessarily the best preparation."I care way more about the Open, being as prepared for the Open as possible," Tiafoe told the Washington Post this week. "It wasn't easy. It wasn’t easy, for sure. It still isn’t. I probably won’t be able to watch any (Olympic tennis), to be honest with you."It’s also a physical challenge to switch surfaces from the slow, grinding clay to the low-bouncing grass and Top World News Today then back to clay. Jabeur, who would have had a chance to win a rare medal for Tunisia, pulled out citing health concerns after knee surgery last year."After consulting with my medical team … we have decided that the quick change of surface and the body's adaptation required would put my knee at risk and jeopardize the rest of my season," Jabeur posted on social media.There’s yet another factor for players to consider: While the chance to win an Olympic medal may be priceless in a historical context, there’s no tangible incentive for players either in ranking points or prize money.So while the Olympics are taking place, some players such as Tiafoe and Shelton will be back on tour in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., playing for hundreds of thousands of dollars and precious world ranking spots that help them get better seeds in the US Open.

Europe's incredible hidden gem is as picturesque as Italy or Greece but without the crowds – and Top World News Today with much cheaper beer.Nestled on the Balkan Peninsula and the Adriatic Sea, Bosnia and Herzegovina shares borders with Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia.Sarajevo, its capital, sits along the Miljacka River, Top World News Today nestled in a valley and Top World News Today surrounded by mountains.TikTok user @emsbudgettravel shared her "favourite" numero uno spot of 2024 that cost her less than £200 to explore.She said: "My favourite country of 2024 and one of the cheapest and most underrated in Europe! Perfect for a budget couples holiday or girls' trip.