Father time is no joke ,and plenty of tennis stars are starting to feel the effects. The likes of Roger Federer, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams are feeling the effects of aging. They are now playing less and have missed a lot of tennis thus far due to tennis. Sadly, they will not be a part of the last Grand Slam of the year, the 2021 US Open. Other big names will also miss this tournament due to an injury or other reasons. Here are the biggest names that will not be playing in the last Grand Slam of the year.
All-Star Players Set To Miss The US Open
Roger Federer
The great Federer will miss the US Open due to needing surgery on his knee, which will cause him to be inactive for months to come. Federer has not played since his devastating loss at Wimbledon this summer to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals. He missed most of the 2020 season due to having two knee surgeries and the global pandemic.
Furthermore, he has not played his best tennis and has only played 13 matches this year. He has a record of nine wins and four losses. He is not in rhythm and sadly needs time to fully recover from his knee surgeries. Additionally, he is 40 years old and father time is taking its toll on him. Time doesn’t pass in vain, and we just need tl enjoy his last few moments of his tennis career when he returns. He won the US Open five times in a row from 2004 to 2008.
Serena Williams
Serena has withdrawn due to a torn hamstring and will not be able to chase her 24th Grand Slam title. She has not played since her first-round match in Wimbledon where she slipped and hurt herself. It is disappointing that she will not be able to compete and see where her level of play is. She has only played in six tournaments this year and her best result was at the Australian Open and Yarra Valley Classic where she reached the semifinals. Serena has won six US Open titles and no doubt will be missed.
Venus Williams
Venus has not had a great year and has been eliminated early from almost every tournament that she has played. Her best results are reaching the second round of Wimbledon, Australian Open, and the Yarra Valley Classic. Seeing her eliminated early from these tournaments is hard to see as she is one of the greatest to ever play this sport. She has won this tournament twice back in 2000 and in 2001.
Rafael Nadal
The Spaniard will miss this tournament due to chronic foot pain that was the result of an old injury. He will use the time off to recover and come back strong. Nadal has four US Open titles, and last won it in 2019. Nadal has not played in any tune up event leading to the US Open.
Let’s remember that Nadal is 35 years old, and he needs to take care of his body. He knows what is best for him and his health. Not playing at this event will be a huge disappointment, but hopefully he can be fit soon and play for more years to come.
Dominic Thiem
The defending champion will not be able to compete and reclaim his title this year. Dominic Thiem will miss this tournament and the rest of the year due to a wrist injury. The Austrian injured the wrist back in June at the Mallorca Open and caused him to miss Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics as well. Thiem also missed tune up events leading to the US Open and has not been able to recover from the wrist injury.
He looks set to be one of the biggest next generation stars but will have to wait to try and win another Grand Slam title until next year. The good thing with Thiem is that he is still young and will turn 28 on September 3rd.
Milos Raonic
The former World No.3 will miss the tournament due to a right leg injury. Raonic has had some difficult months as he has not played well. He lost in the round of 16 at the Miami Masters in March and then skipped Wimbledon. In addition, he lost in the first round at the Atlanta Open.
Raonic has not had the greatest success in this Grand Slam as the furthest that he has gone is the round of 16 four times. He has never reached the quarterfinals of the US Open unlike the other three Grand Slams where he has reached the quarterfinals at least once in his career.
Sofia Kenin
The 2020 Australian Open had to pull out due to testing positive for COVID-19. This has been a tough year for the 22-year-old America. The young American has had a disappointing year and the farthest she’s gone in a tournament was back in the first two tournaments of the year. She reached the quarterfinals of Abu Dhabi Open and the Yarra Valley Classic. Since then, the farthest she’s gone in a tournament was at the French Open where she reached the fourth round.
Nonetheless, she is still young and has time to play more in the years to come. However, 2021 has not been the best for her and the injuries have played a big role in her career thus far. She has suffered a foot injury, underwent an appendectomy in Australia in February, and now tested positive for COVID-19.
No Serena, Federer, or Nadal at the US Open
This will be the first year since 1997 that the US Open will be held without, Nadal, Federer, and Serena playing for singles titles. Nadal and Federer are tied with 20 Grand Slam titles while Serena has 23.
Main Photo from Getty.
