Serena Williams announced Wednesday that she wouldn’t be playing in the year’s final Grand Slam, joining Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the star-studded withdrawal list.
It will be the first major where none of the three will participate since the US Open in 1997.
Since then, the trio have combined for 63 major singles titles — with Williams adding another 16 in doubles and mixed doubles — and an astounding 838 weeks atop the world rankings.
They’ve taken tennis to the mainstream and become one-name phenomena — Serena, Roger and Rafa — along the way, as comfortable on red carpets and talk shows as they are on the tennis court.
Athletes age, and one day, no matter how many records they’ve broken or accolades they’ve achieved, they can no longer outrun Father Time.
Yet despite their advanced ages , for so long it seemed as if the three defied the laws of time and aging.
We’ve almost taken for granted their improbable dominance because it felt like they had been around forever and would always continue to be.
Despite that, the three have remained stalwarts in the top 10 and contenders in nearly every event they’ve played.
The 2017 Australian Open was Williams’ most recent Grand Slam victory, but she has reached four finals since returning from childbirth and made the semifinals at the last two hard-court majors.
Heck, Nadal won the 2020 French Open less than a year ago.
While they all certainly could play again and make runs at their favorite majors in 2022, that no longer is a given.
No one knew 24 years ago at the US Open that the tides of the sport were about to change and three of the greatest athletes of all time would soon be ascending the ranks and heading into the history books.
After Williams lost to Naomi Osaka in the semifinals at the Australian Open in February, she put her hand over her heart before emotionally waving to the crowd.