Ai Sugiyama has told the Japan Tennis Association (JTA) that she will compete at the Athens Olympics this summer, tennis officials said after a board meeting Wednesday.
Sugiyama told the organization last November that she will opt out of the Games because of scheduling conflicts but has apparently agreed to the JTA's request to represent Japan on condition that her coach and mother Fusako accompanies her on the tour.
"The Olympics means as much to me as the Grand Slam, and I wanted to play. The tournament in Athens, in the land where the Olympics began, will be a perfect opportunity for me to show what I've got," said Sugiyama.