The coach of Serena Williams says no discussions have been made about what the 23-time Grand Slam champion may do in the coming months after she pulled out of the US Open.
The former world No.1 issued a statement on Wednesday confirming that she will not be playing in New York after failing to recover from a hamstring injury which she first sustained during Wimbledon. It is only the fourth time Williams has withdrawn from the tournament since making her debut back in 1998. Her decision was made following advice from both doctors and her medical team.
Shedding light on Williams’ latest injury setback, coach Patrick Mouratoglou said she is currently unable to move properly and continues to experience pain in her leg despite undergoing rehabilitation. In an interview with Tennis Majors, the Frenchman said Williams playing at the US Open would have been a ‘risk.’
“Last week, she played in very small perimeters — but she couldn’t avoid pain. We were far from regular tennis movements,” he said. “Today she can’t run properly and she feels something after all. Pain means danger, and pain means that you can’t play as you should. But the point is that playing — just playing — is a risk.”
Since returning to the Tour following the birth of her daughter, the 39-year-old has experienced various injury setbacks. She was forced to pull out of the French Open twice in 2018 and 2020. Between those tournaments, she injured her ankle at the 2019 Australian Open. However, Williams also reached four major finals during that period.
Now sidelined from the Tour once again, it is unclear as to when Williams will play again and if it will be this season. Even her mentor Mouratoglou admits he is currently in the dark about what may happen.
“I don’t know; we didn’t talk about that. We just talked about the US Open, that was the last goal of the season. First she has to digest, then we can sit and talk. Today, I’m not certain of anything in one sense or another,” he explained.
Williams, who will turn 40 next month, is the latest top name to pull out of the US Open with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal also not playing due to injury. It is the first time a Grand Slam main singles draw is taking place without any of those three players since 1997.
So far this season Williams has won 12 out of 17 matches played. She is currently ranked 22nd in the world.
