Sydney, Jul 16 (IANS): The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) confirmed on Friday that tennis player Alex De Minaur has pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19.

As Australia's top-ranked men's player, De Minaur was set to compete in both singles and doubles tournaments.

Before flying to Tokyo, De Minaur undertook both the 96-hour and 72-hour PCR test as required by Japanese authorities, and both returned positive results, reports Xinhua.

He has not been in contact with other members of the Australian Olympic team since returning a negative test on July 5, the AOC said.

AOC Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman expressed sympathy for De Minaur, saying that this is the reality of the world.

"Japan and the Olympic movement need effective measures to ensure a safe and secure Games. The safety of the Australian Olympic team and the Japanese community is paramount and the system put into place has done its job, sadly for both us and for Alex," Chesterman said.