NEW YORK: Serena Williams added herself to the list of big-name withdrawals from the US Open on Wednesday, pulling out of the year’s last Grand Slam tournament because of a torn hamstring.

Serena hasn’t competed since injuring her right leg in the first set of her first-round match at Wimbledon in late June.

The American, who turns 40 next month, announced her decision to sit out the US Open via a social media post. She joins Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as well as the 2020 men’s champion Dominic Thiem in sitting out the competition in Flushing Meadows, where play begins next Monday, raising questions about what the future of tennis might look like without them. The draw for the tournament is Thursday.

This will be the first major tournament since 1997 without any of Serena, Federer or Nadal in the singles brackets. Serena made her Grand Slam debut at the 1998 Australian Open; Federer made his the following year; Nadal in 2003.

Serena has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, a record in the professional era. Only one player in tennis history owns more, Margaret Court with 24. Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic share the men’s record of 20.

Four-time winner Nadal, 35, withdrew because of an injury to his left foot that has troubled him since his defeat in the semi-finals at the French Open in June.

Roger Federer, 40, who won the last of his five US Open titles in 2008, said he needed further knee surgery and admitted he “will be out for many months” while Thiem has failed to recover from a wrist injury.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2021