Stars to be missed at Tokyo 2020

INJURIES

A batch of athletes decided to skip the Tokyo 2020 Games, either through injuries or fitness issues.

On June 1, Olympic badminton gold medalist Carolina Marin said that she would not be able to defend her title in Tokyo after having torn the meniscus and anterior cruciate ligaments in her left knee.

Two-time Olympic triple-jump champion Christian Taylor cannot strive for a three-peat after rupturing an Achilles tendon in a match in May. The four-time world champion later underwent surgery to repair his torn Achilles and will miss the Tokyo Games.

After failing to extend his winning record in the French Open, Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal confirmed that he has withdrawn from the upcoming Wimbledon tournament and the Tokyo Olympics.

"The goal is to prolong my career and continue to do what makes me happy, that is to compete at the highest level and keep fighting for those professional and personal goals at the maximum level of competition," explained the 35-year-old Nadal.

He was later joined in the Olympic absentees by Dominic Thiem, who had suffered a first-round exit at Roland Garros.

"For me, like all athletes, taking part in the Olympics and representing my country is a huge honor and that makes this decision even tougher. However, 2021 did not start as expected and I don't feel ready to play my best in Tokyo," said Thiem.

The Austrian, however, didn't rule out his Olympic hope for the future.

"I am young and I hope to be able to play for Austria at the Olympics in Paris 2024," he added.