Venus and Serena withdraw from 2021 US Open
Williams sisters Venus and Serena have withdrawn from the upcoming 2021 edition of the US Open. Serena posted on social media that she needed time to allow her torn hamstring to heal completely. And then, her elder sister Venus also withdrew with a leg injury. Besides these two veteran players, Sofia Kenin also withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19. Here's more.
Serena withdraws after careful consideration and discussion
Serena wrote on Instagram: "After careful consideration 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." Serena said she will be cheering from far after missing out on one of her favorite places to play.
Serena's wait for a 24th singles Slam continues
Serena had last won a Grand Slam title in 2017. After giving birth and returning to the circuit in 2018, the veteran tennis ace reached four Grand Slam finals but failed to get past the line. Injuries have often bogged her as well. The six-time US Open winner will need to wait longer for a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam title.
WTA Chicago Women's Open: Venus was ousted by Hsieh
Recently, Venus was beaten in straight sets by Taiwan's Hsieh Su-Wei at the WTA Chicago Women's Open. Hsieh sealed the tie 6-2, 6-3 in this one-sided contest. Venus, who has a win-loss record of 3-9 in 2021, hasn't managed to go past the second round at Grand Slams. "This time I just couldn't make any miracles work," Venus said in a post on Twitter.
Vaccinated Kenin to miss 2021 US Open
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old Kenin, who is vaccinated, revealed a positive COVID-19 test will prevent her from competing in the US Open. "I plan to spend the next several weeks getting healthy and preparing to play well this fall," she wrote on social media. "Thank you all for supporting me. I want to wish all the players the best of luck in New York."
Nadal, Thiem and Federer have also pulled out
Recently, 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal announced that he will miss the upcoming US Open after he ended his 2021 season because of a foot injury. Earlier, Thiem withdrew from the US Open after failing to recover sufficiently from a wrist injury he picked up in Mallorca in June. He joined Roger Federer, who also pulled out, citing a need for knee surgery.
