Serena Williams’ expected return at the Canadian Open has taken an uncertain turn after the tournament director cast doubt over her participation.
Amid Williams’ recovery from the knee injury she sustained at the Wimbledon Championships, reports of a potential comeback to the Canadian Open recently made rounds on the internet. However, it took a worrying turn on Wednesday after the tournament’s director, Valérie Tétreault, revealed that no decision has been made regarding her participation in a conversation with L’Equipe.
“We are always in discussion with her team. We follow the recovery of her injury day by day. For the moment, no decision has been made. There is nothing stopped. So, for now, we keep all the options on the table.”
Following her comeback to tennis after almost four years, Williams made her first singles appearance at Wimbledon, where she suffered a first-round defeat to Maya Joint (6-3, 6-7(8), 6-3) on July 1. During the match, the American sustained a knee injury, which prompted her to pull out from the doubles event, where she was set to pair with her sister, Venus Williams.
The injury also prevented Serena Williams from attending her mandatory post-match press conference, drawing criticism from some fans over her absence.
What did Serena Williams say about her withdrawal from Wimbledon’s doubles event?
Days after sustaining the knee injury, Serena Williams shared an update on her recovery through Instagram. She posted a video of her heavily wrapped knee along with photos of her treatment. She added a note in the caption, announcing her withdrawal from the doubles event.
Expressing her disappointment over the decision, she wrote:
“I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles. Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside @venuswilliams once more meant the world to me. I did everything I could to be ready, but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete. I’m especially grateful to tournament director, Jamie Baker, and the entire tournament team for giving me every opportunity to play here. Thank you to the fans for your incredible support and for making this comeback so meaningful…All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you,” said Serena Williams.
She added:
“The photo of the syringes shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match…yikes! The good news is my knee shouldn’t swell or collect that much fluid again. The bad news is that, as hard as I tried, I just wasn’t able to get it ready for doubles.”
Serena Williams made her comeback in June, and her first competition was at the HSBC Championships’ doubles event, where she teamed up with Victoria Mboko.
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