Serevi started 2001 by leading Fiji in the 2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Argentina. Fiji were defeated by Australia in their semi-final; the Australians went on to lose to New Zealand in the final. In the 2000–01 IRB Sevens World Series, he played in only the London and Wales legs. He also missed the 2001 Hong Kong Sevens, the first time he had missed the tournament in 12 years. Serevi was omitted from the team due to form, and the desire to develop new players for the 2004 Rugby World Cup Sevens. Fiji's coach at the time, Tomasi Cama, suggested Serevi had lost some pace and age was catching up with him. Serevi's last sevens tournament for the year was the World Games in Akita, Japan. As captain, he led Fiji to the Gold medal after defeating Australia 35–19 in the final.