The American Coco Gauff will not compete at the Tokyo Olympics after testing the positive Covid-19, the 17-year-old said on Sunday.
Gauff is set to become the youngest Olympic tennis player since 2000 but instead joined a number of top world players who have come out of the Tokyo game.
“I was disappointed to share the news that I had tested positive Covid and would not be able to play at the Olympics in Tokyo,” World Number 25 Gauff, who will compete in single and double competitions, said on Twitter.
“It’s always my dream to represent the United States at the Olympics, and I hope there will be more opportunities for me to realize this into a reality in the future.” Tokyo’s game, pushed back a year because the Covid-19 pandemic, is scheduled to begin on Friday.
Announcement by Gauff, the latter competing at Wimbledon where he lost in the last 16, came two days after Australian tennis player Alex de mini was tested positive for Covid-19 before his departure for the Tokyo Olympics.
Some of the biggest sport names, including Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka and Nick Kyrgios have announced their decision to skip the game.