Serena Williams says she is not on the Olympic list, will not compete in Tokyo
Serena Williams said at the Wimbledon Championships that she is not on the United States' tennis Olympic list, and that if she is, she should not be.
"There's a lot of reasons that I made my Olympic decision," Williams said at a pre-Wimbledon news conference. "I don't feel like going into them today, but maybe another day."
This is the first time that Williams will not compete for Team USA at the Olympics since the 2004 Games. During her Olympic career, she has won four gold medals: three in doubles and one in singles.
Williams first suggested that she might opt out of the Tokyo Games in May when asked about her daughter, Alexis Olympia. She said if her daughter was not able to come with her to Tokyo — which is the case under the current safety protocols — she would likely choose not to go.
"I haven’t spent 24 hours without her, so that kind of answers the question itself. We’re best friends," she said.
WIMBLEDON: Simona Halep's Wimbledon withdrawal clears path for Serena Williams to win 24th Grand Slam
Williams comes into Wimbledon chasing her record-tying 24th Grand Slam victory. She is seeded sixth in the tournament, but key competitors like Naomi Osaka and defending champion Simona Halep have withdrawn, opening a path for Williams to reach the finals yet again. She will play against Belarus' Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the opening round June 29.
Contact Emily Adams at eaadams@gannett.com or on Twitter @eaadams6.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tokyo Olympics: Serena Williams to miss first Summer Games since 2004
