Bob and Mike Bryan, the most decorated men’s doubles tennis pair of all time, pulled out of the Rio Olympics less than a week before the Games are set to begin.

The Bryans made the decision Friday night after their quarterfinals loss at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, citing health concerns that have also prompted other athletes to skip the Games. This would’ve been the duo’s third Olympics after they made their debut eight years ago in Beijing and won the men’s doubles gold medal in London in 2012.

“After countless hours of deliberation, Mike and I have decided to forego the Rio Olympics,” Bob Bryan said in a statement to The Washington Post. “Though we’d love to compete again, as husbands and fathers, our family’s health is now our top priority.

“Representing Team USA is one of our proudest tennis moments to date and winning gold in 2012 will always remain the pinnacle of our career. … We wish every athlete luck in their quest for Olympic glory and hope the Rio Games are a positive experience for everyone involved.”

The loss of the Bryans, twins who have won 16 grand slam men’s doubles titles, is just the latest setback for Team USA’s prospects after singles players John Isner and Sam Querrey withdrew earlier this year to focus on the summer hard court season, which culminates with the U.S. Open later next month.

Querrey suggested that the Olympics should cut tennis, which returned as a full medal sport in 1988 after a 64-year hiatus.

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“For tennis and golf, the Olympics isn’t a top priority,” he said. “We have four other Grand Slams. Those kind of take the precedent. Those are the main focus for us.”

“Tennis in the Olympics is cool,” he added. “I don’t necessarily think it maybe should be an Olympic sport. Some sports in the Olympics – that and golf – you know, I feel like maybe shouldn’t be in there. It just wasn’t a priority of mine at all.”

Isner, the top-ranked American at No. 16 in the world, has shared the same sentiments. He played at the Olympics in 2012, but decided early this year that his priority is preparing himself for the U.S. Open.

“Tennis is not really a traditional Olympic sport,” Isner told The Washington Post in February. “If you ask Roger (Federer), I don’t think he dreamed of winning Olympic gold. He probably dreamed of winning Wimbledon seven times, like he has. … Our biggest events are the Grand Slams and are always going to be the Grand Slams.”

SWIMMING: Two Russians filed an appeal against their exclusion from the Olympics, claiming the ban is “invalid” and “unenforceable.”

The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it received appeals from Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev, both seeking to overturn their bans over state-sponsored doping allegations.

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The two were barred by swimming’s world governing body, FINA, in line with the new criteria for Russian athletes announced by the International Olympic Committee.

FINA said the swimmers were implicated in the report by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren that detailed state-sponsored doping in Russia across more than two dozen summer and winter sports, including swimming.

Lobintsev won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games in the 400-meter freestyle relay and silver in the 800 freestyle relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Morozov also won a bronze in the 400 freestyle relay in London.

SAILING: The main ramp of Marina da Gloria, the sailing venue of the Rio Games, partially collapsed Saturday.

No one was injured, organizers said, in another incident that raises questions about the quality of construction in the host city.

The Rio Games organizing committee placed the blame on strong winds. The collapsed structure, which is temporary, is the main access point for boats to reach the water.

Sailing competitions begin Aug. 8.

In another incident caused by strong winds, water invaded TV studios on Copacabana Beach near the volleyball arena.


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