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Serena Williams to Drop in WTA Rankings After Leylah Fernandez’s US Open 2021 Dream Run

Published 09/08/2021, 12:49 AM EDT

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Without any doubt, the presence of the G.O.A.T, Serena Williams, has been sorely missed at the US Open 2021. The 23-time Grand Slam champion did not compete this year due to a leg injury. And as she did not play, she suffered a major slump in the WTA Rankings.

Throughout the 2021 season, Serena had remained in the WTA Top 10 list. However, due to her opening round retirement from Wimbledon and absence from New York, she’s seen a fall in rankings.  

via Reuters

Chiefly, in the first week of the US Open, the tennis queen dropped out of the Top 20 rankings. Furthermore, given the rise of 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez, Serena’s spot dropped further down.

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Serena Williams’s rankings update

As the 2019 US Open finalist, Serena dropped her 1300 points at the start of this year’s tournament. Additionally, with the success of others, she kept gliding down the rankings.

Recently, the sensational Canadian teenager surged in the WTA Rankings, debuting in the Top 40. However, due to Leylah‘s win in the quarters, Serena will drop to World No.40 on Monday.

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USA Today via Reuters

Since the Canadian has reached the last four, she has an opportunity to improve her spot, if she makes it to the final. For that, Fernandez will need to upset the in-form second seed Aryna Sabalenka.

Apart from her, the 18-year-old Emma Raducanu also has a chance to break into the Top 40. But for that, the Englishwoman must reach the US Open 2021 final. She will face Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals.

Due to Serena’s absence, no ATP or WTA singles player from the United States have made it into the quarterfinals. Indeed, it is the first time in the tournament’s history when this has happened.

What’s next for Serena Williams after the US Open 2021 withdrawal?

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The 39-year-old American will turn 40 near the end of his month. Accordingly, many doubt if Serena will ever return to the tennis court.

via Reuters

However, the American legend has given no indications about her retirement. In all likeliness, she will recover and return to training soon for the next season. Hopefully, fans will once again see Serena Williams competing at the Australian Open 2022. Let’s see if the quest for the 24th Grand Slam is a successful one or not.

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Do you think Serena will add one more Grand Slam to her trophy cabinet?

Watch this story: Breathtaking Tennis From 18-Year-Old Sensation at Us Open 2021

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Written by:

Purav Joshi

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Purav Joshi is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. Having a degree in Films, Television and Media Production, he guided his passion for writing and journalism into the sport of aces and rallies. With over 2 years of experience as a copywriter, Purav has authored over 500 tennis articles.
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