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Serena Williams will not be travelling to Tokyo for the Olympic Games, the 23-time Grand Slam singles tennis champion said, on Sunday, without giving the reasons behind her decision.
American Williams, who will turn 40 in September, won the singles title at the London Olympics in 2012 and she has also picked up three gold medals in doubles with sister Venus - in Sydney (2000), Beijing (2008) and London.
"Yeah, I'm actually not on the Olympic list, so... Not that I'm aware of. If so, then I shouldn't be on it," Williams told reporters on the eve of the Wimbledon Grand Slam.
Top men's players like Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem have also opted to skip the Tokyo Games, which start on July 23.
Roger Federer, a 20-time major winner who also turns 40 in August, said he would like to go to the Olympics but will make a final call after Wimbledon.
There are persistent worries among the general public and medical experts in Japan that the world's largest sporting event, which was delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, could trigger a new wave of infections.
Organisers have barred family members of athletes from attending the Games due to safety protocols, while foreign spectators are also excluded and domestic crowds will be allowed in restricted numbers.
The restrictions on international arrivals would have separated Williams from her daughter Alexis Olympia, who was born in 2017.
"There's a lot of reasons that I made my Olympic decision," Williams said. "I don't really want to ... I don't feel like going into them today. Maybe another day. Sorry."
"In the past it's (Olympics) been a wonderful place for me. I really haven't thought about it, so I'm going to keep not thinking about it."
Spain's Suarez Navarro gets Olympics ticket in bid to end career on a high
Carla Suarez Navarro is one among eight Spaniards selected to compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo next month, the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation has said, giving the veteran player a fitting farewell before her retirement.
A former world number six, Suarez Navarro announced in September last year that she was being treated for the early stages of Hodgkin lymphoma.
The 32-year-old made her comeback to the tour at the French Open this month after declaring she had won her battle with cancer. She is playing world number one Ash Barty in the first round at Wimbledon.
"Happy to represent Spain at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Honoured to have this opportunity as an athlete. Can't wait," Suarez Navarro, now ranked 138th in the world, said on Twitter on Sunday.
She joins Garbine Muguruza, Sara Sorribes and Paula Badosa in the women's singles event. With Rafa Nadal pulling out of the Olympics, the men's team has Pablo Carreno Busta, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Pablo Andujar and Roberto Carballes.
The tennis event at the Olympics will be held from July 24 to Aug. 1.
