Tennis Star Coco Gauff Tests Positive for COVID-19 and Is “Disappointed” to Sit Out Tokyo Olympics

Coco Gauff will no longer be competing at the Tokyo Olympics, but hopes "there will be many more chances for me to make this come true in the future."

By Elana Rubin Jul 18, 2021 10:22 PMTags
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Coco Gauff is the latest person to test positive for COVID-19 ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The tennis star took to Twitter on Sunday, July 18 to report the upsetting news, "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."

Coco continued, "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."

Despite Coco's inability to compete at the athletic event, she still is fully supportive of everyone else moving forward at Tokyo, "I want to wish TEAM USA best of luck and a safe games for every Olympian and the entire Olympic family."

Prior to the tennis star's announcement, she competed at Wimbledon 2021. She said about the event on her profile, "It felt good to be back on centre court."

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Coco's health update came one day after Tokyo Olympics President Seiko Hashimoto confirmed that an unidentified person "involved in organizing the games" tested positive for COVID-19 as well, according to NBC News.

Despite the growing list of people present at the Tokyo Olympics who tested positive with COVID-19—as of July 17, there were 44 coronavirus cases, per an official list from the games' organizers—Hashimoto said, "We are sparing no efforts."

Hashimoto stated, "I understand that there are still many worrying factors. Organizers must try to make sure that people will understand that these games are safe and secure."

Even though Coco won't be going for the gold at the Olympics, she surely still has her home country cheering her on.

For the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic and for tips on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, please visit The Center for Disease Control and Prevention at https://www.cdc.gov. To plan your vaccine, head to NBC's Plan Your Vaccine site at PlanYourVaccine.com.