Tennis players Simona Halep, Stan Wawrinka to skip Olympics

June 29 (UPI) -- Romania's Simona Halep and Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka added their names to the list of tennis stars who won't be in Tokyo for the Summer Games, each announcing their withdrawals Tuesday.

Halep announced her withdrawal on social media. Wawrinka issued a statement through his manager in a news release.

Wawrinka and Halep join American Serena Williams, Spain's Rafael Nadal, Austria's Dominic Thiem and Canada's Denis Shapovalov as the latest tennis players to skip the Tokyo Olympics.

Halep, the No. 3 player in the WTA Rankings, sustained a calf injury in May at a clay-court event in Rome. The injury led to withdraws from the 2021 French Open and Wimbledon 2021.

"Nothing brings me more pride than representing Romania, but sadly the recovery from my calf injury requires more time and I have made the decision to withdraw from the Olympic Games this summer," Halep wrote on social media.

"After the disappointment of missing the French Open and Wimbledon, having to skip the Olympics is incredibly tough to digest, but I am determined to come back stronger I will be watching and cheering on the Romanian athletes from home."

Halep lost her first-round match at the 2012 Summer Games in London. She skipped the 2016 Summer Games due to concerns about the Zika virus in Rio de Janeiro.

Wawrinka won a gold medal in doubles alongside Roger Federer and lost in the second-round of the singles tournament at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. He lost in the first-round of the 2012 Summer Games and skipped the 2016 Summer Games due to a back injury.

The No. 30 player in the ATP Rankings underwent surgery on his left foot earlier this year and won't be recovered in time to participate in Tokyo. Wawrinka hasn't played since March.

The postponed 2020 Summer Games start July 23.