LANDSLIDE! Serena Williams to Drop Out of Top-40 Rankings After US Open 2021 Withdrawal

In another big blow to the US Open 2021, former winner Serena Williams has decided to skip the event this year. Serena is yet to fully recover from an injury suffered at Wimbledon this year. The American was hopeful of a comeback until recently, but decided against rushing into a return. She will join fellow greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who also withdrew from the tournament earlier. This will be the first Slam in 24 years to feature none of these three megastars. The withdrawal is going to have huge repercussions for the 23-time Grand Slam champion.

Hamstring injury forces Serena out of US Open

It all started when the former World No.1 slipped under the wet grass at SW-19. In her first round encounter, Serena was playing well, until the slip caused her to retire mid-match. As a result, she lost crucial points and dropped out of the competition early on. Following her retirement, Williams did not participate in any tournament, including the Olympic Games at Tokyo. And now, the hamstring tear has caused her to skip the US Open as well.

“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,” announced the 39-year-old. She went on to state how she will miss traveling to New York, and thanked her fans for their constant support.

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Serena Williams to tentatively drop to No.45 in rankings after US Open

In 2020, Serena performed exceptionally well at Flushing Meadows. Beating some top quality opposition, she made it to the semifinal stage. Victoria Azarenka eventually beat the then 3rd seed, but it was a great battle. And now, her withdrawal will see her drop several points in the WTA rankings.

For having made it to the last-4, Serena would have had to defend many points this year. However, she will fail to do so, and lose out on all those points. The American is currently ranked at No.22 in the world. Unfortunately, the legend will drop to around 45 in the WTA rankings post the final major. Though this is only an estimated ranking, she will invariably see a steep decline.

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The shock withdrawal means that Serena Williams will now have a lot of work to do when she returns in 2022. But one thing we know about the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, is that she refuses to give up. If she can recover well, we hope to see her back with a bang next year!