Serena Williams will not participate in Coupe Rogers action this upcoming week. An apparent injury is holding her back from defending her semifinal run 12 months ago. The world number one will need all the time she can get to recover in order for her body to be ready to contend at the upcoming Olympic Games.
Williams’ shoulder costs her tournament appearance
Williams is fresh off capturing her 22nd Grand Slam title which tied Steffi Graf for the most major titles in the Open Era. With her brilliant, dominant form, she was the heavy favorite to lift her fourth Rogers Cup trophy. As the number one seed, her draw looked to work in her favor as she held an undefeated record against all the players in her quarter. However, due to an inflammation in her shoulder, she will be unable to compete north of the border. She will be replaced in the draw by either a qualifier or a lucky loser.
American’s past Rogers Cup success
The world number one has failed to reach the Rogers Cup semifinals once in her career with eight total appearances. Williams first played the Rogers Cup 16 years ago where she made a run to the final before having to retire against Martina Hingis. She then won the title the following year in impressive style. Serena reached at least the semifinal in five of her next six Rogers Cups. Her most recent showing saw her lose to Belinda Bencic in dramatic fashion last year. Unfortunately, Serena will not be able to defend the 350 WTA ranking points she earned in Toronto last season.
Coupe Rogers’ Twitter announcement
The tennis world received the shocking news via the Coupe Rogers’ Twitter account. On July 24th, the tournament’s official account stated, “Serena Williams withdrew from the #CoupeRogers due to an inflammation in the shoulder.”