London: As the 23-time grand slam champion, Serena Williams took to the court for her practice before the start of Wimbledon, she amused the media with an unexpected announcement. Serena Williams who is currently prepping for Wimbledon 2021 will not be a part of the United States (US) team for the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
"I'm actually not on the Olympic list - not that I'm aware of. If so, then I shouldn't be on it," Williams said during a press conference here on Sunday. The 39-year old has won 4 gold medals for the USA. She won a singles gold medal in London 2012 Olympics, while the other three came in women's doubles (where she partnered with her sister, Venus).
Serena Williams was sceptical to elaborate about the details of her being out of the United States' Tokyo contingent. She said, “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.” (as reported by AP)
Serena holds the record for winning the most number of grand slam titles in the Open Era. (Even more than Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal). Serena is considered the best female tennis player ever by some pundits. She is in quest of her 24th grand slam title. She will face Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus in the first round on 29 June 2021.
Wiliams isn't the first one to back out of the Olympics. Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem are some top-seeded players who have decided to not take part in Tokyo Olympics 2020.
(With inputs from News agency AP)