Tennis star, Serena Williams has raised doubts over playing at the Olympics in Tokyo this summer due to the current travel restrictions in place which could prevent her from taking her three-year-old daughter Olympia with her.
The 39-year-old American is the joint-most successful Olympian in tennis history alongside sister Venus having won one gold medal in singles and three in doubles.
But the decision not to allow international visitors to the Games, including family members of athletes, may see her miss the tournament.
Asked whether she would travel to Japan under what will be severe restrictions she cited Olympia in responding: ‘I haven’t spent 24 hours without her, so that kind of answers the question itself. We’re best friends.
‘I think there are other reasons. I haven’t really thought much about Tokyo, because it was supposed to be last year and now it’s this year, and then there is this pandemic and there is so much to think about. Then there are the Grand Slams. It’s just a lot.’
Williams is expected to return to action for the first time since losing in the semi-finals of the Australian Open at this week’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.
With the French Open happening later this month, she expects to be ready for her latest bid to claim a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title.
She said: “I trained for the past two and a half weeks at (coach) Patrick (Mouratoglou’s) academy, and then training a lot on the clay in the United States with team members. We had an intense several weeks of training, very intense.
“I feel good. I’m in Rome. I’m going to have some good matches here, hopefully, and then I will be at another Grand Slam, which always makes me excited. So I think either way I’ll be ready.”
