Teen tennis sensation Cori “Coco” Gauff was forced to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics after she tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The 17-year-old, who exploded onto the tennis scene when she shockingly defeated her idol Venus Williams at Wimbledon in June 2019, conveyed her deep disappointment to her 222K Twitter fans on Sunday, July 19, 2021.
“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,” Cori penned. “I want to wish TEAM USA best of luck and a safe games for every Olympian and the entire Olympic family.”
🙏🏾❤️🤍💙 pic.twitter.com/lT0LoEV3eO
— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) July 18, 2021
Gauff is currently the youngest person ranked in the Top 100 and currently rest at No. 25, which is a dream come true for the tennis phenom. But a berth in the coveted Olympics is now a dream deferred.
The United States Tennis Association is currently trying to determine if it is too late to replace Gauff in Tokyo. The Olympic games begin on Friday.
“We were saddened to learn that Coco Gauff has tested positive for COVID-19 and will therefore be unable to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” USTA’s statement read, according to CNN. “The entire USA Tennis Olympic contingent is heartbroken for Coco. We wish her the best as she deals with this unfortunate situation and hope to see her back on the courts very soon.”
