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Tennis: Berrettini, Gauff withdraw from Tokyo Olympics
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Italian Matteo Berrettini during a press conference at the Wimbledon Championships in London, UK, July 11, 2021. /CFP

Italian Matteo Berrettini during a press conference at the Wimbledon Championships in London, UK, July 11, 2021. /CFP

Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini announced on Sunday that he was pulling out of the Tokyo Olympics due to a thigh injury sustained earlier this month, as U.S. teenage sensation Coco Gauff also withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19.

Big names like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Bianca Andreescu have already said in recent weeks that they will not travel to Tokyo for various reasons, disappointing tennis fans worldwide. The remaining top-ranked players at the Games include Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka, and Ashleigh Barty.

U.S. player Coco Gauff in action during the Wimbledon Championships in London, UK, July 6, 2021. /CFP

U.S. player Coco Gauff in action during the Wimbledon Championships in London, UK, July 6, 2021. /CFP

Berrettini announced his decision on Instagram, explaining how he was informed that he wouldn't be able to compete "for a couple of weeks" after an MRI scan. He picked up his injury during the Wimbledon men's singles final against Djokovic. 

The Italian National Olympic Committee said it would not be able to get a replacement player for the 25-year-old as the International Tennis Federation's deadline to name new athletes passed on Friday.

Meanwhile, 17-year-old Gauff, one of the most promising young stars of tennis, said in a tweet that "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."

With her off the list, the biggest name remaining in the U.S. women's tennis squad is 2021 Australian Open runner-up Jennifer Brady. 

(With input from Reuters)

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