Serena Williams joins growing list of stars skipping Tokyo Olympics

American 23-time Grand Slam winner follows likes of Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem by withdrawing from Games

Serena Williams and coach Patrick Mouratoglou arrive for a practice session at the All England Club, ahead of the Wimbledon Grand Slam. AFP

Serena Williams getting ready for a practice session at the All England Club. PA

Serena Williams at the Aorangi Practice Courts on Sunday. PA

Serena Williams after a practice session on Sunday. Reuters

Serena Williams returns to Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina during their fourth round match at the French Open. AP

Serena Williams will not be competing at the Tokyo Olympics. AP

American tennis great Serena Williams has revealed she will not be a part of the US team at the Tokyo Olympics.

The 23-times Grand Slam singles champion thus joined a growing list of tennis stars to withdraw from the Games.

"Yeah, I'm actually not on the Olympic list. Not that I'm aware of. If so, then I shouldn't be on it," Serena, 39, said at her pre-Wimbledon press conference.

Serena made her debut at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and has won four gold medals. She had earlier stated that she was not eager to travel for the Games as that would have meant staying away from her three-year-old daughter Olympia.

However, on Sunday, Serena did not give any particular reason for her decision.

"There's a lot of reasons that I made my Olympics decision. I don't feel like going into them today. Maybe another day. Sorry."

Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem have already decided not to compete in Tokyo, while Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have not yet committed to the event.

Serena is the joint most successful Olympian in tennis history alongside sister Venus, having won one gold medal in singles and three in doubles.