US Open 2021: Serena Williams coach Patrick Mouratoglou explains why she was injured to retire the legend

Serena Williams He retired from the 2021 U.S. Open on Wednesday, referring to a torn leg. The 23-time Grand Slam champion was initially injured first round match at Wimbledon in June.

“After carefully reviewing the advice of doctors and medical teams, I decided to step out of the US Open to allow my body to fully heal from a torn hamstring,” he wrote on Instagram. “New York is one of the most exciting cities in the world and one of my favorite places to play – I will miss watching the fans but I will encourage everyone from afar. Thank you for your continued support and love. See you soon.”

In an interview with CBS Sports, Williams coach Patrick Mouratoglou explained the process by which Williams tries to prepare in time for the final Grand Slam tournament of the calendar year. Eventually, having had little time since the injury (the Wimbledon women’s individual tournament from June 28 to July 10) and when the U.S. Open was scheduled to begin (August 30) did not allow for a full recovery. The risk of long-term damage was too great.

“[Serena] he was injured at Wimbledon and we knew we had a very tight schedule to get back on track and play this U.S. Open, “Mouratoglou told CBS Sports.” We knew there would be no setback in that period. So it came out well in the beginning. From not being able to walk, he eventually started to be on a tennis court, not moving but playing tennis. “

Mouratoglou said Williams then moved sideways to the courts, but after a few days he started to feel a lot of pain again.

“We did the tests [MRI] and we realized there was a tear in the tendon that wasn’t normal yet, “Mouratoglou told CBS Sports.” Although we tried, after a week until the US Open, we finally realized that there was a lot of danger in playing. There really was a risk of a much worse injury, if you play with a tear in the tendon and go too far, the tendon can break completely and it’s something you don’t want to risk. ”

Mouratoglou added that it was basically a race against the clock.

“It’s sad, maybe because we just have another two weeks and it would be fine but we haven’t had two more weeks. It will be totally fine [to play again] in two to three weeks but the risk is too great, ”he said.

Since Williams returned to her sport in March 2018, after the birth of her daughter Olympia, the tennis legend has competed in every Grand Slam event. In 2021, Williams saw his best Grand Slam performance in February at the Australian Open, and reached the semifinals before falling to straight sets against eventual champion Naomi Osaka. Williams, who turns 40 on September 26, last won the last Slam Championship in January 2017 when he defeated his sister Venus in the Australian Open final.

Williams has won 23 individual Grand Slam titles in his career. The only person with more is Margaret Court, who has 24. Williams ’retirement announcement ruled out the possibility of the 2021 U.S. Open to be a tournament that binds Williams. But that’s the only negative story that goes hard for the event.

The 2021 US Open lacks serious star power.

Venus Williams ’sister was also injured as she announced her decision to skip the tournament and on the men’s side, Roger Federer, 40, and Rafael Nadal, 35, retired and ended the 2021 season due to injuries. This year’s U.S. Open will be the first Grand Slam event that the Williams sisters, Federer, and Nadal have ever held in the individual singles after the 1996 U.S. Open.