Serena Williams Makes Decision On Withdrawal From The Tokyo Olympics 2021

Former World No.1 and 23-time Grand Slam champion, Serena Williams has now announced that she won’t be competing at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics 2021. She is the second highest-ranked American in the WTA ranking and is also a former Olympic Gold medalist. But now she joins fellow Grand Slam and Olympic champion Rafael Nadal in snubbing the Olympics.

In her pre-tournament press conference at Wimbledon Championships 2021, Serena Williams informed about her Tokyo Olympics participation. She is unaware of the official list but confirmed that she won’t be playing in Tokyo. Serena’s decision seems to be influenced by the fact that her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, cannot travel with her to the Olympics.

“I’m actually not on the Olympic list. If I am, I shouldn’t be on it,” Serena said.

Earlier, Serena had hinted at missing the Olympics. The fact that she has to stay away from Olympia is a big issue for the American. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the congested schedule, could have been the additional red flags for Serena.

“I haven’t spent 24 hours without her (Olympia) so that kind of answers the question itself. There is this pandemic and there is so much to think about. Then there are the Grand Slams. It’s just a lot. So I have really been taking it one day at a time to a fault, and I definitely need to figure out my next moves,” Serena said.

Owing to her rankings, Serena had already qualified for the Olympics much before the deadline of 14th June. The official list by the ITF has not been released yet. And the United States Tennis Association (USTA) has also not announced the official list.

Apart from Serena, no other American has withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics yet. Top-ranked Sofia Kenin has also not said anything about her Olympic schedule. Serena’s exclusion from the Olympic squad gives a chance to Jessica Pegula to represent the USA at the Tokyo Olympics 2021. Pegula is next in line in the rankings and followed by her are Madison Keys and Alison Riske.

Serena is a four-time Olympic gold medalist. She has three gold medals in doubles along with her sister, Venus Williams, and a gold medal in singles that she won in 2012 by defeating Maria Sharapova.