Serena Williams’ future plans have become clearer after the Canadian Open’s latest announcement.
Williams made her singles comeback at Wimbledon, where she was beaten in the first round by Maya Joint.
It was in this match where the 23-time Grand Slam champion suffered a knee injury, which subsequently stopped Serena from playing doubles with Venus Williams at Wimbledon.
The Canadian Open had been in discussions with Serena about a potential comeback to the WTA 1000 tournament, and it appears that those conversations have now found an answer.
Serena Williams is not on the wildcard list for the Canadian Open
The Canadian Open had announced their initial wildcards for the upcoming women’s singles tournament, which will take place in Toronto this year.
This wildcard list included the aforementioned Venus Williams, as well as former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu.
The Canadian Open have now announced their final two main draw wildcards, which have been awarded to Carol Zhao and Ariana Arsenault.
Zhao and Arsenault will join Venus Williams, Andreescu, Cadence Brace, Kayla Cross, Rebecca Marino and Katherine Sebov on the eight-player wildcard list.
This confirms that Serena Williams will not be making her singles comeback at the Canadian Open, as she is unable to directly enter the WTA 1000 tournament with her current ranking.
What did you make of Serena Williams’ level on her return to singles?
Serena Williams is OUT of the Wimbledon singles event…
What could be next for Serena Williams?
Although Serena Williams will not be playing singles at the Canadian Open this year, it does not rule out a doubles appearance.
There is currently one wildcard spot left for the women’s doubles tournament, leaving a small opportunity ajar for Serena to return to Toronto.
If Serena is unable to compete at the Canadian Open, then the next tournament on the horizon for the 44-year-old will be the Cincinnati Open.
What do you think Serena Williams needs to do to make her comeback successful?
The Cincinnati Open, where Serena Williams is a two-time former singles champion, will begin on Thursday, August 13, giving the former world number one some more time to recover from her knee issue.
Williams will then be looking ahead to the US Open, where she has been rumoured to be playing mixed doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz, who is also returning to competition in New York.
