US Tennis star Coco Gauff will not compete at the Olympic Games after testing positive for Covid-19
American tennis player Coco Gauff withdrew from the Olympic Games in Tokyo after testing positive for the deadly Covid-19 virus.
“I am so disappointed to share the news that I have tested positive for Covid-19 and won’t be able to play in the Olympic Games in Tokyo,” Gauff tweeted on Sunday.
“It has always been a dream of mine to represent the USA at the Olympics, and I hope there will be many more chances for me to make this come true in the future.”
Gauff was set to become the youngest Olympic tennis player since 2000 but instead joins a number of the world’s top players who have already pulled out of the Tokyo Games.
The announcement by Gauff, who last competed at Wimbledon where she lost in the last 16, comes two days after Australian tennis player Alex de Minaur tested positive for Covid-19 prior to his departure for the Tokyo Olympics.
Some of the sport’s biggest names, including Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka and Nick Kyrgios have already announced their decision to skip the Games.
Gauff is No 25 in the WTA rankings.
“We were saddened to learn that Coco Gauff has tested positive for Covid-19 and will therefore be unable to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” the US Tennis Association said in a statement.
“We wish her the best as she deals with this unfortunate situation and hope to see her back on the courts very soon. We know Coco will join all of us in rooting on the other Team USA members who will be traveling to Japan and competing in the coming days.”
The Tokyo Games, pushed back by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, are scheduled to begin on Friday.
