Is it a Year of Retirement for Tennis?
2021 was a year that all tennis fans were looking forward to. People were able to start attending tennis matches, tournaments were being played, and the Olympics were coming at the end of July.
Unfortunately for those tennis fans two of the world’s best and renowned players retired from playing in tournaments. These players being Serena Williams and Roger Federer.
The first player to withdraw from a tournament is Williams during the first round of Wimbledon. This was due to Williams having slipped on the grass during the sixth game of the first set. She took a medical timeout and returned ten minutes later with the hopes of being able to play the rest of the match.
Once Williams returned to Center Court it was obvious to all around her that she was in critical pain. As a result, Williams decided to retire from the tournament. The 23 time Grand Slam champion took to Instagram to express her feelings in regards to her retirement from the tournament. Williams describes being “heartbroken” as a result of withdrawing from the tournament and match as a result of her injury. In addition, she expresses her “love and gratitude being with the fans and the team and making being on Center Court so meaningful”.
Serena Williams on the court after injuring herself. (Rob Prange/Shutterstock)
For Roger Federer, the choice to withdraw from the French Open was similar to Williams’. Over the past year, Federer has been resting and recovering from multiple knee surgeries so seeing him back on the court was exciting for all. During the first three rounds of the tournament, Federer seemed to be playing well and on his way to what would possibly be another Grand Slam win.
Despite this, the morning of Federer’s fourth-round match it was revealed that he had decided to withdraw from the tournament due to concerns over his knee. On a Twitter post, he had stated how “it’s important that I listen to my body and make sure I don’t push myself too quickly on my road to recovery”.
Despite both Williams and Federer deciding to withdraw themselves from tournaments, recently there seems to be potential for them to return down the road. Both athletes have discussed looking forward to returning soon and becoming fully healthy.
It will be interesting to see when Federer and Williams return to the tennis court seeing that they will not be attending the Olympic Games in Tokyo. What is certain is that both players have emphasized that they are going to be taking lots of time to ensure that they become fully healthy again.