With Serena Williams back active on the WTA Tour, tournaments are unsurprisingly clamouring to attract her to their events.
After all, she guarantees a full house no matter where she plays, with her stature and aura still as powerful today as it was decades ago.
That is why her injury at Wimbledon has left so many scrambling for scraps of information about her fitness, as she herself rushes to rehab in time for the US Open.
Her entire comeback has felt focused around this, her home Grand Slam. Many are predicting she will play every discipline available to her, partnering Venus Williams in the ladies doubles, and potentially Carlos Alcaraz in the mixed.
For now, it is events like the Canadian and Cincinnati Open that are seeking her presence, with the former having actually released a statement on the matter.
Canadian Open say they are ‘monitoring’ Serena Williams’ fitness
Williams hurt her knee during her first-round loss to Maya Joint, and was subsequently forced to withdraw from her scheduled doubles with Venus.
This was a hammer blow to those who were pining to see such a legendary reunion on the hallowed turf of Wimbledon.
What do you think Serena Williams needs to do to make her comeback successful?
For that, they will now likely have to wait until the US Open.
However, that does not mean that we will be deprived of Serena Williams until then. Even after she announced her Wimbledon doubles withdrawal, she promised: “All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you.”
Perhaps Toronto might just be that city, with Valérie Tétreault, Vice President of Communications at Tennis Canada, having recently told L’Equipe: “We are in discussions with her team. We are monitoring her recovery day by day. For now, no final decision has been made, but we are keeping all options open.”
Unsurprisingly, the Canadian Open are desperate to have Williams play. With little information emerging on her fitness, it will likely be a touch-and-go decision that has the sporting world on edge in anticipation.
Serena Williams responds when asked if tennis ever affected her relationship with Venus
It’s incredible that such greatness can come from just one family, but with the Williams, they made the impossible possible.
Combining all that both Serena and Venus achieved, the Williamses boast 30 singles Grand Slam titles, another 28 in the ladies doubles (14 each, both with each other), eight Olympic Gold Medals and over 2,500 tour-level matches.
However, 31 of those matches were waged against one another, 16 in Grand Slams. Such fierce competition was bound to cause some tension.
Asked by Kevin Hart at a recent event whether these battles had ever impacted her relationship with Venus, Serena laughed as she admitted: “I don’t think it ever affected her relationship with me.
“I remember one time I lost the Wimbledon final to her and I was so mad. I just couldn’t even; I didn’t look at her, I didn’t speak. It was so funny.
“And then we had to play a doubles final after, and I was so mad. I wasn’t speaking on the court.”
Another question sought to uncover whether Venus might have teased Serena after such matches, but she insisted: “No! She’s not like that. She’s so not connected. I found out years later that she didn’t even know I was mad at her. I was like, really? I wasn’t even talking to you!”
