Less than 12 hours apart, Serena williams and Dawei announced the news of the return of the US Open. Together with Federer and Nadal, who have previously been officially retired, it will be a US Open without Finer and without the Williams sisters; the last time that happened was in 1996 — ah, that's a full quarter of a century.
Federer and Nadal not only withdrew from the US Open, but also ended the injury-ridden 2021 season ahead of schedule. Although the Williams sisters only announced their retirement from the US Open, they have basically ended the season early - after all, even when they are not injured, they are not interested in the season after the US Open, and even the WTA Finals are saying that they will retire. What's more, they now have injuries and illnesses, coupled with travel restrictions under the pandemic.
After ending his Wimbledon journey with an injury in the middle of the first round, Serena's quiet was very disturbing. Not only has she not played in the US Open warm-up matches, but there are no videos or videos of her practicing on social media; in the end, she decided to retire from the US Open and continue her quest for the 24th Grand Slam title to the 2022 season. But one can't help but wonder if she's quitting just the U.S. Open and the 2021 season...
The rankings have slipped to the point where they can't compete directly in Grand Slam events, and of course they easily got a wild card for the US Open. But in the early morning of Beijing time, she also followed her sister to retire. Her first appearance at the U.S. Open was in 1997, when she reached the final for her first time but lost to Singis. Two of Dawei's U.S. Open titles came from 2000 and 2001 earlier in her career, and in 2017 she shined again to reach the top four; but in the past three years, her record at the US Open has been worse than the year's 3rd, 2nd and first round outs.
The imperial sun, the long day will end, this year's US Open, really let people feel what is called "the back of an era". However, it is quite remarkable to think that they have held for so many years, achieved so much, and left so many good memories for the fans. A new era will eventually come, and perhaps, it is really time to come.
Next year, will they all be able to come back? Nadal's hopes are, of course, the greatest, he is still relatively young, and he will definitely fight again next year at the French Open. The other three, in fact, have left a certain degree of uncertainty, after all, they are already 40 years old or upward players, if the physical recovery is not ideal, or feel that they have really lost the competitiveness of the Grand Slam laurels, it may be difficult to find the motivation to return.
In addition to these four great stars, this year's US Open will not have Grand Slam champions such as Wawrinka and Del Potro. Thinking about the avalanche-inducing expulsion announcements of the past two days, I can't help but think of the phrase: Slowly, then suddenly.
This quote is taken from Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. Yes, the sun has risen as usual, but the tennis world is indeed no longer what it used to be. What they will eventually take away is our memories; all they can leave us with will be memories.
Wen | Zhang Bendou
Edit | Fat Cat