For the first time in nearly two decades, Serena Williams won’t be competing in the Summer Olympics.
On Sunday, she said she won’t be going to Tokyo.
“There’s a lot of reasons that I made my Olympic decision,” Williams said during her pre-Wimbledon press conference. “I don’t feel like going into them today, but maybe another day.”
Her daughter, Alexis Olympia, could be the reason. Williams had said in May that if she couldn’t bring her daughter, she would likely not go. That is the case under current COVID-19 protocols in the country.
“I haven’t spent 24 hours without her, so that kind of answers the question itself. We’re best friends,” she said at the time.
The last time WIlliams didn’t take part in a Summer Olympics was 2004. She has won four gold medals, three in doubles and one in singles.