The 17-year-old rising U.S. tennis player has been forced to give up her place at the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan following positive Covid-19 diagnosis.
- July 19, 2021
AceShowbiz - Rising U.S. tennis star Coco Gauff has withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19.
The 17 year old took to Twitter on Sunday (18Jul21) to break the news to fans, just days before the start of the Summer Games, which had been postponed from 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic.
"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," the women's world number 25 wrote.
"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's diagnosis news emerged shortly after it was revealed that at least two players on the South African soccer team had contracted COVID while inside the Olympic Village - the first such cases reported at the site of the Japanese sporting extravaganza.
Sportsmen Thabiso Monyane and Kamohelo Mahlatsi, as well as the team's video analyst Mario Masha, have all tested positive and are in quarantine, while those who have come in close contact with the trio are in isolation.
The Tokyo Games are set to launch on Friday.
This year's USA tennis team didn't have Serena Williams. It became the first Olympics she missed since 2004. "There's a lot of reasons that I made my Olympic decision (sic)," she told the media. "I don't feel like going into them today. Maybe another day. Sorry."
