Serena Williams and Star Athletes, One After Another, Withdraw from the Olympics (Comprehensive)

"Will Skip Even If on the Olympic List"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyun-ui Cho] Serena Williams (photo), the 'Queen of Tennis' from the United States, has announced that she will not participate in the Tokyo Olympics scheduled for next month.

According to CNN and others, Williams stated at a press conference on the 27th (local time), a day before the Wimbledon tournament began, "I am actually not on the Tokyo Olympics list. Even if I were, I would not attend."

Regarding the reason for her absence, she said, "There are various reasons, but I do not want to disclose them today. I might talk about it later."

Local media analyzed that Williams made this decision considering moving with her daughter Olympia. The New York Times said, "Williams' absence was anticipated," adding, "She hesitated to participate because of travel restrictions due to COVID-19, fearing she might not be able to bring her three-year-old daughter to Tokyo."

Star athletes are consecutively announcing their withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics. In tennis, world No. 3 Rafael Nadal (Spain) has said he will not attend, and No. 1 Novak Djokovic (Serbia) is also deliberating. American male players Reilly Opelka and John Isner will not participate either.

In basketball, NBA star players LeBron James and Stephen Curry have announced their absence. In golf, world No. 1 Dustin Johnson (USA) and Tiger Woods (USA) will not participate. In soccer, superstar Kylian Mbapp? (France) has decided not to go to the Olympics.

They all cited scheduling or condition reasons for their absence. Although few athletes directly mentioned COVID-19, it is analyzed that concerns about the spread of variant viruses and differences in vaccination rates by country influenced their decisions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.