July 18, (THEWILL) – The coronavirus continues to make a mark on the most unusual of Olympics as American tennis player Coco Gauff became the latest in a string of stars to withdraw from the Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan.
Her announcement on Sunday said the reason she was going to miss the Olympics she had prepared herself for was based on returning a positive test for COVID-19.
The 17-year-old American, who remains one of the sport’s rising stars and who has two WTA Tour titles to her name, reached the quarterfinals of the 2021 French Open in June to record her deepest run in a tennis major.
That was enough to secure the Atlanta native a ticket to Tokyo and she was on Team USA already.
In June, before the July announcement that formally confirmed her part in Team USA, the teenager had said in an interview: “I’m definitely planning on playing the Olympics. I’m excited to play.” And, she represented America’s best chance of securing gold in the Olympics women’s singles event as tennis icon Serena Williams was not in contention.
A four-time Olympic gold medalist, Williams had pulled out even before she had to withdraw from the recently-concluded Wimbledon with injury. She won the 2012 singles championship and a trio of doubles titles alongside sister Venus Williams at previous Olympic tournaments.
For the XXXII Summer Games, Team USA has not formally announced who would take Gauff’s vacated spot in the women’s singles event. Officially, the tennis schedule opens on Saturday with all draws except mixed doubles, which starts July 28.–
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
