Ashleigh Barty opts against staying in the Olympic village as she arrives in Tokyo

Ashleigh Barty Wimbledon Honours Board

Newly crowned Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty has arrived in Tokyo for the Olympic Games, but she will not be staying at the athletes’ village.

The world No.1 is one of Australia’s top Olympic medal contenders with Simona Halep, Bianca Andreescu, Sofia Kenin, Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, and Coco Gauff all missing the Games.

Now it has emerged Barty will not be part of the Olympic experience in the village, with Covid-19 cases being reported at an alarming rate among athletes and officials.

“Ash is staying elsewhere,” said Australia’s chef de mission Ian Chesterman.

“We have a number of athletes staying outside the village. We allow that, it’s just what works best for them.

“Something I’ve always been very big on is driving performance takes a whole lot of flexible decisions, flexible options.

“In terms of her performance plan, it’s best served by her being able to control her environment and we respect that.”

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