Canada's Bianca Andreescu pulls out of Tokyo Olympics

Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu on Monday made a "very difficult decision" of skipping the upcoming Tokyo Olympics which will kick-start from July 23.

The former US Open champion said due to the challenges put forward by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic she has decided to not play in the Tokyo Olympics. World number five Andreescu, however, vowed to feature in Paris Olympics in 2024

"To all my amazing fans, I would like to inform you that I have made the very difficult decision to not play in the Tokyo Olympics later this month. I have been dreaming of representing Canada at the Olympics since I was a little girl, but with all the challenges we are facing as it relates to the pandemic," Andreescu said in an Instagram post.

"I know that deep in my heart, this is the right decision to make for myself. I look forward to representing Canada in future Fed Cup ties, and competing at the 2024 Olympics in Paris!" she added.

Andreescu joins Stanislas Wawrinka joins Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Simona Halep, and Dominic Thiem in withdrawing from the showpiece event.

Tokyo Olympics will begin on July 23 and the Games will run up to August 8 this year. The event was slated to be held last year, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

( With inputs from ANI )