The injuries and withdrawals from the US Open 2021 continue as Venus Williams and Sofia Kenin are the recent additions to the list of players who also opted out of the final Grand Slam tournament of the year. This marks the first time since 2003 that neither of the Williams sisters is competing at a major Grand Slam.
Venus Williams pulled out from the event due to an injury. Kenin announced her withdrawal, as the 22-year-old American has tested positive for COVID-19. Earlier, Serena Williams withdrew from the US Open 2021. She posted on social media that she needed time to allow her torn hamstring to heal completely.
Venus Williams withdraws from US Open 2021
The seven-time Grand Slam champion took to Twitter and posted a video message saying how disappointed she was to miss out on playing at US Open 2021. She said, “Not the best news from Serena and me today. It’s super, super, super disappointing. [I’ve been] having some issues with my leg all this summer. Just couldn’t work through it… I just was unable to figure out the equation, and there have been so many times when I was able to figure it out. This time, I couldn’t just make any miracles work”.
“It’s my favorite Slam and I’ve had so many amazing memories there and I can’t wait to get back out on the court, whenever that is. I’m really disappointed and it’s a tough time right now, but like all tough times, they don’t last forever”. She added
Serena withdrew due to a hamstring injury
Williams hasn’t missed the US Open since 2006. She has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, a record in the professional era. Only Margaret Court has more titles than her (24). She last won a Grand Slam event in January 2017 at the Australian Open.
Serena Williams took to her official Instagram handle to announce her withdrawal from US Open 2021 and explained why she opted out of the tournament. She wrote, “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. New York is one of the most exciting cities in the world and one of my favorite 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.”
Kenin withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19
Kenin was one of the biggest contenders to win the US Open title this year. She reached two Grand Slam finals last year. Kenin won the 2020 Australian Open title and became the youngest American to win a Grand Slam women’s singles title since Serena Williams. And then finished as runner-up at the 2020 French Open. Kenin has won five WTA singles titles and won two WTA doubles titles.
“Fortunately, I am vaccinated and thus my symptoms have been fairly mild. However, I have continued to test positive and thus will not be able to compete at the US Open next week. I plan to spend the next several weeks getting healthy and preparing to play well this fall. Thank you all for supporting me. I want to wish all the players the best of luck in New York.” Kenin tweeted
Roger Federer, Nadal, and Thiem have also pulled out
Among men, several tennis legends with the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and defending champion Dominic Thiem also pulled out of the US Open 2021. This will be the Grand Slam event without Serena Williams, Federer, and Nadal in the main singles draw since the 1997 US Open.