Categories
Sport Sports

Serena and Venus receive doubles wild card to US open

Venus Williams will play her first-round match on Tuesday against Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck…reports Asian Lite News

Serena Williams and Venus Williams will reunite for doubles at the U.S Open after receiving a wild card for the tournament, which is set to begin on Monday.

The William sisters are two-time champions at the U.S Open and will pair for the first time since 2018 Roland Garros. In addition to their 14 major doubles titles, the last of which came at 2016 Wimbledon, Serena and Venus have teamed to win three Olympic gold medals in doubles, winning in 2000, 2008, and 2012.

The duo is the most recent team to hold all four major doubles titles at one time, having won 2009 Wimbledon, 2009 U.S Open, 2010 Australian Open, and 2010 French Open.

Earlier this month, Serena confirmed the U.S Open would be her final tournament before evolving away from tennis. In singles, she is set to face Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic in the first round on Monday night.

Venus Williams will play her first-round match on Tuesday against Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck.

The USTA also announced additional doubles wildcards going to the other teams: Sophie Chang and Angela Kulikov, Robin Montgomery and CoCo Vandeweghe, Katrina Scott and Elizabeth Mandlik, Peyton Stearns and Ashlyn Krueger, Hailey Baptiste and Whitney Osuigwe Clervie Ngounoue and Reese Brantmeier.

The doubles competition begins on Wednesday.

ALSO READ-Blasters register first win in Durand Cup

Categories
Sport Sports

Serena believes she will always be involved in tennis

Williams also outlined her plans for the future, adding: “I really want to expand my family, and you know I’ve been putting it off for so long…reports Asian Lite News

Retiring legend Serena Williams has indicated she “will always have some sort of involvement” in tennis as she prepares for the US Open, in what will be the final Grand Slam of her career.

The 40-year-old has won 23 major singles titles, while also adding 14 doubles championships in a brilliant career, but will be hanging up her racquet after she plays in the tournament she has won six times, reports DPA. Her first time lifting the US Open trophy came in 1999, but even after spending over two decades at the top level of the sport, Williams says she will continue to be active in tennis.

“I will never retire from something I absolutely love,” the American told Meghan Markle on the Duchess’ new Spotify podcast.

“I will always have some sort of involvement in it. Maybe not professionally, but I will always want to be involved in some form in tennis. Obviously, I’ve retired professionally, but it’s also an evolution.”

Williams also outlined her plans for the future, adding: “I really want to expand my family, and you know I’ve been putting it off for so long.

“As a woman, there’s only so long you can put that off and other people out there, other men out there, can continue to play. My best is being a mom; I think I can do really good at that.

Fellow tennis legend John McEnroe has heaped praise on Williams ahead of the tournament at Flushing Meadows, commenting: “The way that she moves the needle when she plays, it’s like Tiger Woods and golf.

“You can look at the accomplishments; she has the Grand Slam victories. Off the court, I know that she’s had a lot of difficulties in her life that she talks about in her own documentaries, but she has come out the other end as this icon, global superstar.”

ALSO READ-Bengaluru FC defeat Indian Air Force 4-0

Categories
Sport Sports

Serena announces retirement after US Open

The 40-year-old admitted afterwards she was “getting close to the light at the end of the tunnel” with regards to her remarkable career, before furthering that statement with her article…reports Asian Lite News

Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, on Tuesday hinted towards her retirement, saying that she is “evolving away from tennis” after the US Open.

Writing for Vogue, the American said she is moving towards “other things that are important to me”, adding she does not like the word “retirement”.

Williams made her singles return at Wimbledon in June after a lengthy injury lay-off that had led to speculation about her retirement. She registered her first singles win in 14 months, beating Spain’s Nuria Parrizas Diaz to reach the second round of the National Bank Open in Toronto on Monday.

The 40-year-old admitted afterwards she was “getting close to the light at the end of the tunnel” with regards to her remarkable career, before furthering that statement with her article.

“I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people,” Williams wrote in Vogue.

“Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.

“I’ve been reluctant to admit that I have to move on from playing tennis. It’s like a taboo topic. It comes up, and I start to cry. I think the only person I’ve really gone there with is my therapist,” she added.

The star player was knocked out by Harmony Tan at Wimbledon in her first singles match for a year earlier this summer, but has her sights set on the US Open in what could prove her farewell tournament.

Williams’ last Grand Slam title came in 2017 to take her tally to 23, leaving her one shy of a 24th that would bring her level with Margaret Court’s record for most majors.

“Unfortunately I wasn’t ready to win Wimbledon this year. And I don’t know if I will be ready to win New York. But I’m going to try. And the lead-up tournaments will be fun,” she added in the article.

“I know there’s a fan fantasy that I might have tied Margaret that day in London, then maybe beat her record in New York, and then at the trophy ceremony say, ‘See ya!’, I get that. It’s a good fantasy. But I’m not looking for some ceremonial, final on-court moment. I’m terrible at goodbyes, the world’s worst.”

ALSO READ-Lanka Premier League 2022 to start on December 6