Serena Williams opens the door for Ash Barty
On the eve of the US Open, Serena Williams has dropped out due to a hamstring injury and the pundits are saying this leaves the coast clear for our Aussie World No. 1 – Ash Barty - to win the grand slam event.
At 39 years of age, the odds seem to be against Williams staying in the ring long enough to equal Margaret Court’s grand slam record of 24 singles titles, having claimed her last major victory at the 2017 Australian Open.
This latest injury means another chance to continue on the grand slam circuit has gone but it’s all good news for our Ash Barty who’s had a dream run on the circuit, winning Wimbledon in July and the Cincinnati Masters last week.
Williams said she’s upset to miss the major event
Williams took to Instagram to reveal she had pulled out of the tournament she has won six times.
‘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,’ she wrote.
‘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.’
Williams’ coach Partick Mouratoglou replied ‘You have tried everything’, and the US Open account added: ‘We’ll miss you, Serena! Get well soon.’
This could be the ‘end of an era’ in tennis
New York Times tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg posted on Twitter that it was the ‘end of an era’ because men’s stars Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will also be absent from Flushing Meadows.
‘The 2021 US Open will be the first Grand Slam event without Serena Williams, Roger Federer, or Rafael Nadal in the main singles draw since the 1997 US Open,’ wrote Rothenberg.
USA Today Sports columnist Dan Wolken added this move will ensure Williams continues to rank badly as she is already ranked 22nd in the world.
With the likes of our own Aussie Ash Barty winning so many titles – along with Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka who have dominated in past years, it could well mean Williams’ days of winning grand slams may be over.
Barty is now ranked as the world No. 1 by 3175 points over World No. 2 Sabalenka. This is because she’s won her fifth title of the year in Cincinnati, as well as Wimbledon and the Olympic bronze in the mixed doubles.
If Williams’ days of grand slam dominance are over, it would open the door for the younger brigade which of course includes Ash Barty.
The US Open starts on Monday August 30 and will screen in Australia on the Sports streaming service Kayo.
You can also watch this year’s men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals, semi-finals and both finals in Australia on SBS, or choose to live stream the matches via SBS On Demand.
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