The women's world number 8 is the latest
big name to announce she will not be travelling to Tokyo for the Olympics which
begins from July 23. Williams joins Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem in deciding
against competing in Tokyo, while Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have not yet
committed to taking part.
The 39-year-old, who has four gold medals
and made her debut at the Sydney Games in 2000, had hinted ahead of the Italian
Open 2021 that she was reluctant to go because she would not be able to take
three-year-old daughter Olympia with her.
Speaking at her pre-Wimbledon press
conference, Williams said, “I’m actually not on the Olympic list not that I’m
aware of. If so, then I shouldn’t be on it.” She declined to explain her
reasoning, adding: “There’s a lot of reasons that I made my Olympic decision. I
don’t feel like going into them today. Maybe another day. Sorry.”
Serena Williams is currently gearing up
once again to equal Margaret Court's tally of 24 Grand Slam title. She faces
Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich in her first round match at the grass-court
Grand Slam on July 29.
Men's world number 8 Roger Federer also
spoke about his plans for Tokyo Olympics at the pre-Wimbledon press conference.
"Still, my feeling is I would like to
go to the Olympics. I would like to play as many tournaments as possible. But I
think we decided now let’s just get through Wimbledon, sit down as a team, and
then decide where we go from there.
“In previous years, it was definitely
easier,” Federer said. “At the moment, things are not as simple as in the past.
With age, you have to be more selective. You can’t play it all," he said.
Less than a month left for the 2021
Olympics, there are protests being held in different parts of Tokyo as part of
the Japanese population is still not convinced that the Games can be held
safely in the city.
Starting from the major metro stations to
famous public spots in Japan, protests were recently held in front of the Tokyo
Metropolitan building and the headquarters of the organising committee.
Protests have amplified especially after two Ugandan nationals tested positive
for coronavirus after landing in Japan a few days ago.
Japan’s emperor Naruhito has also shown
concern that the Games could accelerate the spread of coronavirus.
"The emperor is extremely worried
about the current status of coronavirus infections," IHA Grand Steward
Yasuhiko Nishimura told a regular news conference on Thursday.
"Given the public's worries, he
appears to me to be concerned about whether the Olympics and Paralymics event,
for which he is honorary patron, would cause infections to spread."
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