Major news in the world of tennis today as Serena Williams announces her retirement from the court. Raphael Nadal withdraws from Montreal open due to injury--and Novak Djokovic is also out at Montreal due to vaccination status. Coco Gauff defeats former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka.
Serena Williams announces retirement from tennis
Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam champion, announced on Tuesday that she will be retiring from tennis sometime after the US Open. Williams has been dominant in the sport since winning her first U.S. Open in 1999, the New York Times reported.
In an interview with Vogue published on Tuesday, Williams remarked she has "never liked the word retirement."
"Maybe the best word to describe what I'm up to is evolution," Williams said. "I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me."
Williams will turn 41 next month. She caps off her tennis career with 73 career singles titles, 23 career doubles titles, and over $94 million in career winnings, CNBC reported.
Williams does have some
regrets, though.
"There are people who say I'm not the GOAT because I didn't pass Margaret Court's record of 24 grand slam titles, which she achieved before the 'open era' that began in 1968," Williams wrote. "I'd be lying if I said I didn’t want that record."
"I don't know if I will be ready to win New York," Williams added. "But I'm going to try."
The 2022 U.S. Open is the fourth and final grand slam event of the year, held on outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. It begins on August 29 and runs through September 11.
Nadal withdraws from Montreal open due to abdominal injury
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Montreal Open due to abdominal injury, one he suffered at Wimbledon in July. Nadal, 36, said in a statement that the injury has not healed well enough to allow him to play in Montréal, so he will continue to rest in order to recover before the U.S. Open in late August, CBSSports reported.
"I have been practicing for a while now without serving and started with serves four days ago," Nadal's statement read. "Everything has been going well. However yesterday, after my normal practice, I felt a slight bother on my abdominal and today it was still there. After speaking with my doctor, we prefer to take things in a conservative way and give a few more days before starting to compete."
Novak Djokovic withdraws from Montreal due to vaccination status, U.S. Open could be in jeopardy
Novak Djokovic, who continues to refuse vaccination, withdrew from the Canadian Open in Montreal on Thursday as he is not allowed to enter Canada, CBSSports reported. Djokovic could also see his status in the US Open in jeopardy as the United States also does not allow unvaccinated foreigners to enter the country.
"I am preparing as if I will be allowed to compete, while I await to hear if there is any room for me to travel to US," Djokovic wrote in a tweet. "Fingers crossed!"
Coco Gauff defeats former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, moves to quarterfinals
No. 6 seed Coco Gauff defeated former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of the Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose. Gauff will move to a quarterfinal match against No. 2 seed Paula Badosa on Friday at 7:30 PM ET. Gauff, 18, is currently ranked No. 11 in the world, CBSSports reported.