Serena Williams withdraws from 2021 Miami Open

According to Baseline on Monday, women’s tennis star Serena Williams has pulled out of the Miami Open because of pain after recently having oral surgery. The 23-time major champion has strong connections to the Florida region as she calls Palm Beach Gardens home, and is the co-minority owner of the Miami Dolphins.

Ironically, the Miami Open is held at Hard Rock Stadium, the same stadium which hosts the Dolphins. Tennis matches take place within Hard Rock Stadium itself, and its parking lot.

The withdrawal of Williams is a major blow to the tournament as Serena continues to be one of the leading stars in women’s tennis at age 39. Williams is also an eight-time champion of the event as she previously won the Miami Open in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, and 2017.

Williams is one of four tennis stars who will not be competing at the 2021 Miami Open. The big three in men’s tennis will not be there either. Roger Federer has returned to training after a quarterfinal loss earlier this month in Qatar. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, the world number one, has pulled out because of the coronavirus restrictions in south Florida at the moment, and Rafael Nadal of Spain is not in Miami either as his focus is on the upcoming clay-court season.

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There are currently 579,987 active cases of coronavirus in the state of Florida with 32,840 deaths. There has been a recent state of emergency in Miami Beach, after large crowds gathered in the region to celebrate spring break. Tourists and university students have been accused of bringing  “chaos and disorder” to the city. The 2021 Miami Open begins on Wednesday.

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