Tennis player Coco Gauff has tested positive for Covid-19 and will not be competing in the Tokyo Olympics, where she was expected to lead Team USA.
Gauff, 17, announced the news through her own social media on Sunday, where she wished the rest of the team luck on the international stage. This would have been Gauff’s first Olympic appearance after a series of notable appearances in Grand Slam tournaments over the past few years.
“I am so 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,” Gauff 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.”
The young tennis phenom was expected to lead the 12-person Team USA squad along with Jennifer Brady, Jessica Pegula and Alison Riske in the women’s singles division, the Olympic team announced earlier this month. She was also to be partnered with Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the doubles event.
Gauff’s announcement comes only a day after it was announced an organizer of the games who was staying at the Olympic Village tested positive for Covid, and two days after an assurance from International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach that there was “zero risk” of the athletes infecting anybody outside the sealed-off section of Tokyo.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
