World No.1
Ashleigh Barty has announced her participation at the Tokyo
Olympic Games this summer, where she will lead Team Australia in a strong field that also includes the volatile
Nick Kyrgios.
With
Serena Williams and
Rafael Nadal revealing they will not be competing at the event, Barty's presence ensures the tennis event will not be lacking in star power.
"Competing in an Olympic Games is always a dream as young kids you aspire to," said Barty, who will be competing in both the singles and doubles event. "I can't wait to be a part of it."
Joining Barty will be former
US Open champion Samantha Stosur, who will be competing in her fifth Olympic Games. The ladies will be joined by Ajla Tomljanovic in the singles event, with Storm Sanders and Ellen Perez participating in the doubles event.
"It's super special being able to represent your country in one Olympics let alone five," said Stosur, who also competed at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016.
On the men's side, World No.15
Alex De Minaur and Nick Kyrgios will be making their Olympic debuts in Tokyo. Both will play singles with De Minaur also featuring in the doubles. Fellow Aussies John Millman and James Duckworth will so represent their country in singles, with Luke Saville and John Peers rounding out the doubles team.