Serena Williams has been given a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but she has decided not to compete.
The four-time Olympic gold medallist told reporters on Sunday at the All-England Club, the day before Wimbledon begins, that she will not play at the Tokyo Olympics to compete for a fifth."I'm actually not on the Olympic list, not that I'm aware of," Williams said via interview. "If so, then I shouldn't be on it."
Williams declines to explain her decision
When asked why she opted to miss the Olympics, Williams, 39, said she wasn't ready to discuss her reasons just yet.
“I made my Olympic decision for a variety of reasons," she explained. "I don't want to — I'm not in the mood to going into them today." Perhaps another time. Sorry.” she said.
Last month, Williams hinted that she was leaning toward declining. Olympia, her three-year-old daughter, would be unable to accompany her due to the restrictions on travel to Japan. Williams effectively indicated that coming to Tokyo without Olympia was out of the question when questioned.
Williams has one gold medal in singles, which she won in 2012, and three gold medals in doubles, which she won with her sister Venus in 2000, 2008, and 2012. Despite the fact that the next Summer Olympics are only three years away, it's difficult to picture Williams, who would be 42 at the time, still competing. But she's built a career on defying expectations and accomplishing what others said she couldn't, so who knows what the future holds.