Silver Medal in Rio 2016, tennis player Angelique Kerber abandons Tokyo Games

German Olympic medalist Angelique Kerber on Thursday (15) joined the list of big names to have pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics, claiming that the last few weeks on the track demanded a lot from his body.

Kerber has won three Grand Slam titles, winning the silver medal in the women’s singles event at the 2016 Rio Games.

The 33-year-old has had a busy turf season, playing three tournaments last month – winning in Bad Homburg and reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

“Representing Germany at London 2012 and Rio 2016 as part of the German national team has always been one of the best memories of my career so far,” she said in a statement.

“It makes it even more frustrating for me to accept the fact that my body needs to rest after the few weeks left behind and that I have to recover first before returning to competition later this summer.”

“Thank you for your support as this is a very difficult decision for me. Good luck to all my fellow German athletes in Tokyo, I will miss you.”

Many tennis celebrities will miss the Olympics, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Serena Williams, Simona Halep and Bianca Andreescu.

UK number one Dan Evans and Jona Konta will also not appear because they have tested positive for Covid-19.

The Tokyo Games will be held from July 23 to August 8.