Image Source: Getty / Tim Clayton - Corbis [1]
Serena Williams will not compete in the 2021 US Open set to begin on Aug. 30. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, six of which come from the US Open, wrote on Instagram, "After careful consideration [2] and following the advice of my doctors and medical team, I have decided to withdraw from the US Open to allow my body to heal completely from a torn hamstring." Her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, commented, "You have tried everything."
Williams has not competed since she injured her right hamstring during the first round of Wimbledon [3] this past June. She continued in her message on Instagram, "New York is one of the most exciting cities in the world and one of my favourite places to play — I'll miss seeing the fans but will be cheering everyone on from afar. Thank you for your continued support and love. I'll see you soon."
Last year, Williams set a record — then continued adding to that tally — as the player with the most singles match victories in US Open history [4], and she made it to the semifinal round. She withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics this summer [5] prior to her injury at Wimbledon, and she told POPSUGAR in an interview published earlier this month [6] that she's taking her future goals "day by day . . . I'm not really thinking too much about it."
On the men's side, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal [7], both with 20 Grand Slam singles titles to their names, have also opted out of the US Open due to a knee and foot injury respectively. According to The New York Times, this is the first time since 1997 that the US Open tournament [8] will be played without one of the three players at the very least. We wish her — and them! — the best recovery possible.
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