On Wednesday, the 2021 US Open suffered a huge blow as both Serena and Venus Williams withdrew from the year's final Grand Slam tournament. The Williams sisters joined Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Dominic Thiem in the growing list of players who will not make the trip to Flushing Meadows this year.
Serena first made the announcement on Instagram, telling her fans that after considering the advice of her doctors and medical team, she decided to withdraw from the US Open and allow her body to heal completely from a torn hamstring. Williams went on to say that New York is one of her favorite places to play in and that she'll be missing the fans.
Venus and Serena join Federer and Nadal in the list of big-name withdrawals
Ten hours after Serena made that post, tennis fans got another shock when Venus also announced her withdrawal from the US Open. In a social media video, the older Williams sister, who was granted a wildcard in this year's tournament, said that she has been having some leg issues all summer, and she just couldn't work through it to play in the US Open.
Not the best news everyone. I am joining @serenawilliams @RafaelNadal and @rogerfederer on the injured list. It’s still going to be a great US Open & many thanks to the @usta for the wild card. I was so looking forward to it, but it was not meant to be this year. I will be back! pic.twitter.com/s0PRgdSSx2
— Venus Williams (@Venuseswilliams) August 25, 2021
Since the 2003 edition of the US Open, it will be the first time that neither of the Williams sisters will play at Flushing Meadows. To make it much weirder for tennis fans, this will be the first Grand Slam tournament since the 1997 Australian Open that the main draw will not feature Venus, Serena, Nadal, and Federer in the singles brackets.
The four players have been staples in major tournaments for the past two decades. Venus made her first Grand Slam appearance at Roland Garros in 1997 while her sister Serena arrived on the big stage the following year. Federer and Nadal, on the other hand, made their Grand Slam debuts in 1999 and 2003, respectively.
Related Article: Rafael Nadal To Miss 2021 US Open; Joins Federer and Thiem in List of Withdrawals With Foot Injury
Serena misses huge opportunity to tie Court's Grand Slam record
Serena's pursuit of the Grand Slam singles titles record has stalled as she has been stuck at 23 for quite some time now. Williams, who turns 40 next month, knows time is running out to tie Margaret Court's record of 24 titles, and missing this year's US Open is a wasted opportunity.
She has fared extremely well in this tournament, winning the US Open six times in her career, with her last victory in New York coming in 2014. Since that victory, she has made five appearances at Flushing Meadows, reaching the finals twice in 2018 and 2019 and the semifinals three times.
Venus also has played well in the Big Apple, winning the US Open in 2000 and 2001. The 41-year-old has won a total of seven Grand Slam singles titles in her career but has now fallen to no. 112 in the current WTA rankings.
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