US Open glimpse of future sans Serena, Roger, Rafa

It’s been nearly a quarter of a century since Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal all sat out the same Grand Slam tennis tournament.

That changes next week, when the U.S. Open will start at Flushing Meadows without any member of that distinguished and dominant trio. Williams, whose 40th birthday is in September, withdrew on Wednesday, joining Federer, who turned 40 this month, and Nadal, who is 35, on the sideline because of injuries.

Everyone knows they can’t play forever, of course, and that this grand era will end at some point. Now fans, other players, the tours, tournaments, sponsors, TV executives and the rest of the world are getting a glimpse of what the probably-nottoo-distant future holds for tennis.

Is that as daunting as it sounds?

“We have been asking ourselves that question for many years. They’ve defied the odds with their legacy and their dominance of the sport well beyond other champions. Without question, our sport does go through the passing of the baton,” U.S. Open tournament director Stacey Allaster said in a telephone interview from New York. “The athletes that are here, they’re ready for it. We’re starting to see who those potential next Grand Slam champions will be. We’ve gone through this cycle before, and our athletes have risen to the occasion and they’ve stood on all champions’ shoulders and taken the sport to the next level.”

That certainly can be said of Williams, Federer and Nadal, who all managed to become global superstars and remain relevant for long past the usual time frame in tennis. Not since 1997, the year before Williams made her major debut, has any Grand Slam tournament been contested without at least one of the three.

Because the right hamstring she tore at Wimbledon in late June is not sufficiently healed, Williams again will not be able to pursue what would be a 24th Grand Slam singles title, tying Margaret Court for the most in the sport’s history. (As it is, Williams holds the Open era mark of 23, because more than half of Court’s total came before professionals were permitted to enter major tournaments in 1968).

Since returning from maternity leave in 2018, Williams has reached four Slam finals, going 0-4. Her 2017 Australian Open title while pregnant at age 35 makes her the oldest woman to win a major singles championship in the Open era. Ken Rosewall set the men’s mark of 37 at the 1972 Australian Open.

Federer, the first man to reach 20 Slam trophies, is done for 2021 because he needs a third operation on a right knee that was repaired twice last year. Nadal, who matched his rival’s total by getting his 20th major at the 2020 French Open, is also done for the season, troubled by recurring left foot pain.