Covid-19 forces Johanna Konta out of Tokyo 2020 Olympics weeks after British tennis ace said she was undecided about vaccine
British tennis star Johanna Konta has pulled out of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after contracting Covid-19.
Konta was forced to miss Wimbledon earlier this month when a member of her support team tested positive. She subsequently also developed Covid-19 while isolating.
“I have been unable to train for the last two and a half weeks and sadly, this has put my body in a situation where I am unable to ask it to be fully ready in time for the Olympic Games in Tokyo,” Konta said.
“This is a heart-breaking reality for me, as representing Team GB at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 is one of my most treasured memories from my career so far.”
Konta, 30, has previously expressed hesitancy at receiving a Covid-19 vaccination. It is not know whether she has been inoculated since.
She said in May that she would “wait to see how things develop and how it fits into my life”.
Konta joins Federer and Serena in missing Tokyo 2020
The British women’s No1 joins a growing list of top players to abandon the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Serena Williams and Simona Halep are also out of the women’s competition. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem have withdrawn from the men’s.
The delayed Games are being held in strict conditions while Tokyo is in a state of emergency to control rising rates of Covid-19.
Spectators have been barred from all venues. Athletes are forbidden from socialising or straying from their accommodation and places of practice and competition.
Konta reached the quarter-final in Rio five years ago and had shown signs of a return to form, following persistent knee problems, in winning a pre-Wimbledon grass-court tournament in Nottingham.
“I’ll be doing my best to get myself back to full health and fitness and ready to be competing again soon,” she added.
“During this time, I’ll also be glued to my TV cheering on my fellow Team GB athletes competing in Tokyo and I hope you will all join me.”