Sydney (AFP)
Australian tennis player Alex de Minaur, 17th in the ATP rankings in the world, will miss the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for Covid-19, Australian Olympic officials said on Friday.
De Minaur, Australia's top-ranked men's player, tested positive for the virus in Spain, where he lives, earlier this week.
"We are very disappointed for Alex; he said he was broken," said Australian Olympic Committee vice-president Ian Chesterman, present in Tokyo, where the Games will be held, delayed for a year by the pandemic. .
"It was a dream since he was a child to represent Australia at the Olympics," he said.
The 22-year-old had to line up in singles and doubles at the Olympics.
Organizers have yet to confirm whether Alex de Minaur's doubles partner John Peers will still be able to participate.
Despite the disappointment, this package linked to the result of a test is a sign that the anti-Covid health bubble protection system for athletes in Tokyo is working, Chesterman assured.
All other Australian players tested negative, and De Minaur had not been in physical contact with other tennis players since testing negative after his elimination at Wimbledon in the first round, he added.
The Australian delegation for the tennis events is therefore reduced to five men and five women, including world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and Sam Stosur, crowned at the US Open in 2011 and who will participate in his fifth Olympic Games.
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