Coco Gauff latest big name to pull out of Tokyo Olympics after tennis ace tests positive for Covid with Games in chaos
TENNIS star Coco Gauff has pulled out of the Tokyo Games after testing positive for Covid-19.
The 17-year-old is the latest big name to withdraw from this summer’s Olympics due to coronavirus-related reasons.
Gauff announced her withdrawal on Sunday evening, tweeting: “I’m disappointed to share the news that I have tested positive for Covid and won’t be able to play in the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
“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 expected to be one of the stars of the Tokyo Games after her breakthrough performance at Wimbledon two years ago.
The teenager famously defeated legend Venus Williams on her way to the fourth round of the women’s singles in 2019.
Wimbledon finallist Matteo Berrettini has also pulled out of the Games with a leg injury.
The 25-year-old, like Gauff, is a huge loss for the tournament after losing to Novak Djokovic at SW19.
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Simona Halep are among the many tennis stars that have pulled out of the Olympics.
Not all of these withdrawals are Covid-related but their absence will leave organisers even more worried ahead of the delayed Games.
There have already been some positive coronavirus cases inside the Olympic village, with two South African footballers contracting it.
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Other athletes, meanwhile, have chosen not to participate over fears of living in a Covid bubble – such as basketball star Elizabeth Cambage.
Team GB have also been hit by the pandemic, with ten members of the team self-isolating after being designated as ‘close contacts’ of a positive case.
And a Tokyo 2020 worker inside the Olympic village has tested positive for Covid less than a week before the Games begin on July 23.