BEVERLY HILLS, August 22, (THEWILL) – Serena Williams says the withdrawal of some of the world’s top tennis players from this year’s U.S. Open amid the COVID-19 pandemic will not affect the fun of the game as she targets a potential record-equaling 24th Grand Slam title.
THEWILL had initially reported that six of the top 10 women’s players, including defending champion, Bianca Andreescu and world number 1 Ash Barty, have dropped out of the competition, boosting Williams’ chance of clinching the major for the first time since 2014.
She said: “It still has to be tennis that’s played, asterisks or not. I think this whole year deserves an asterisk, because it’s such a special year – history we have never been through in this world.
“I think we are living a future history lesson. I think regardless, there is always going to be some asterisk by it, because it’s never been done before.
“If you win, it was, like, wow, I was able to win in this crazy circumstance where there was no fans. It was just so sterile and weird, but I mentally came through. It might be a more mental test than anything.”
Williams, who has a medical record of blood clots and pulmonary embolisms, said she will be at the event but will be staying in a rented house instead of the official players’ hotel as a precaution.
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She said: “I have health issues and I don’t necessarily want to get sick, and if I do, I want the good version.
“I didn’t want to be in the hotel because I have lung issues and felt it was a big risk for me personally. In a house, I can control more. I needed to put my mind at rest so that I could perform.”
