MELBOURNE, Australia – Serena Williams retired from a set-up tournament at the Australian Open and cited a right shoulder injury on Friday just hours after hosting a semi-final match against Ash Barty, the best ranked.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion did not play in a tournament the week before a Grand Slam event, but made an exception before last year’s US Open and this Australian Open due to all interruptions. caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. .
The 39-year-old American was playing her first tournament since retiring from the French Open before her second-round match due to an Achilles tendon injury in October. She, like all players traveling to Australia for the tournament, had to quarantine for 14 days and had limited practice during that time.
With the first big year starting Monday, Williams may be better off resting.
She won three victories in the Yarra Valley Classic, one of six tournaments she had this week at Melbourne Park, culminating in a 6-2, 4-6, 10-6 victory in a tiebreaker against Danielle Collins on Friday.
The withdrawal came after the post-match press conference (when he made no reference to any issues), so no full explanation was offered.
It means Barty gets a step into the final and will also rest on Saturday.
On Friday there were 70 games in order of play, an extended program a day after all six tournament matches were postponed so that 160 players and 507 people in general could isolate themselves and undergo tests so that a hotel worker of quarantine returned a positive test. Tennis Australia said all tests were negative.
To speed things up a bit at the end of the tournament, 17 tracks were used and the women’s matches were reduced to two regular sets with a 10-point tiebreaker if needed.
Williams and Barty had to play the tiebreaker: Barty beat Shelby Rogers 7-5, 2-6, 10-4.
Before retiring, Williams said he was looking forward to the semifinals.
“It’s definitely a good opportunity to see where I’m going against the current No. 1, that’s really important to me,” Williams said. “Viouslybviament, I think also for her to see where it goes against my game.
“It’s been a long 12 months. Tennis has been played, but not really, so … I hope it’s like a new year where things will be different.”
Garbine Muguruza defeated Australian Open defending champion Sofia Kenin 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the semi-finals, reversing the result of the 2020 final at Melbourne Park. He will soon play the number 8 of Marketa Vondrousova.