Serena and Venus Williams, along with Sofia Kenin are pulling out from the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati. Along with them, many players like World No. 1 Djokovic, Federer, Nadal have pulled out of traditional warm-up events such as Toronto, Cincinnati, which usually take place before the US Open.
Serena Williams revealed in a statement that she is still recovering from the leg injury she got at Wimbledon and she will miss Cincinnati but promised that she will be back on the court soon. She will compete in the US Open, where she will aim to achieve her 24th Grand Slam title and equal Margaret Court’s record of most Grand Slams won by a women tennis player.
Venus Williams’s reason for withdrawal remains a mystery and the officials in Cincinnati have not posted anything on her yet. Sofia Kenin, who is the 2020 Australian Open Champion, has issued a statement about her situation where she feels that a week’s recovery is needed for her to compete in the US Open.
The latest tournament update:
Sofia Kenin and the Williams sisters withdraw from #CincyTennis.
📰: https://t.co/yKpKv5CNou pic.twitter.com/3OgUfzi4wL
— Western & Southern Open (@CincyTennis) August 11, 2021
She thanked the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for all their efforts in holding the event during such challenging times and wished luck to all players
The court in Cincinnati still consists of players like World No.1 and reigning Wimbledon champion Ash Barty, four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka, and reigning French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova.
Two-time and defending champion Victoria Azarenka and previous Cincinnati champions like Madison Keys (2019), Garbine Mugurza (2017) and Karolina Pliskova (2016) will also play at the outdoor hard-court event.