The 2022 US Open women’s singles tournament will be a special one. The last Grand Slam of the season is also set to be the last Grand Slam the great Serena Williams will take part in.
The 40-year-old has dominated the WTA Tour for over two decades, but she is finally ready to say goodbye. And based on the soaring ticket sales and prices, her fans are also hoping to see her last stand in the US Open.
Meanwhile, fans will also be treated to the other Williams sister, Venus, who is set to play in the US Open via a wild card berth. However, the status of both Simona Halep and Coco Gauff remains uncertain amid their recent injuries.
So read on as SBOTOP serves up the latest US Open 2022 news.
Ticket sales, prices soar for Serena’s last Grand Slam
Serena Williams is set to play in her last Grand Slam at the US Open, and fans will have to pay a high price for the privilege of watching her in action for one of the last times.
The U.S. Tennis Association sold over 16,500 tickets alone on Aug. 9, when the tennis champion announced her upcoming retirement, and the ticket sales have continued to the point where they have sold out.
“We are now basically sold out for Monday (Opening night), Tuesday and Wednesday nights,” a USTA spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, secondary ticket reselling sites have seen prices and sales jump significantly since Williams’ announcement.
If Williams wins the US Open, she would tie Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 career Grand Slam titles.
However, the US Open 2022 odds do not fancy the 40-year-old to do so. Serena, who just returned from a lengthy injury layoff at Wimbledon, has struggled for form since returning. After winning her return match, she lost in straight sets to Belinda Bencic in the Canadian Open, then smashed 6-4 6-0 by reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
Venus Williams earn wild card berth for US Open
While Serena Williams prepares for her Grand Slam swansong, her sister, Venus Williams, will also be participating in Flushing Meadows after she received a wild card berth for the tournament.
Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam champion and two-time US Open winner, has missed significant time over the last year due to injury. She finally made it back to action in singles earlier this month during the Citi Open, but she lost to Rebecca Marino in the first round.
Williams has also gone on to lose her next two matches – to Jil Teichmann in the Canadian Open and Karolina Pliskova in the Cincinnati Masters – both in straight sets.
Iga Swiatek slams US Open tennis balls
World No 1 Iga Swiatek made headlines recently as he called out the U.S. Open due to the tournament’s use of separate tennis balls for the men’s and women’s players.
The US Open is the only tennis Grand Slam tournament to use different balls for men and women.
“I don’t know why they are different than men’s ones,” Swiatek said. “I don’t know, like, 15 years ago probably women had some elbow injuries because the balls were heavier and they changed them to women’s balls, but right now we are so physically well prepared that I don’t think it would happen. Plus we can’t get those balls in Europe, or actually, when we buy them at store, they are totally different than the tournament balls, so when I’m prasticing with U.S. Open balls at home [in Poland], I’m practising with men’s ones.”
Other players in the WTA Tour have previously complained about the difference in balls at the US Open, and World No 4 Paula Badosa recently voiced her support for Swiatek’s comments on Instagram.
“Very much agree,” Spain’s Badosa said, placing her comments over a screenshot of Swiatek’s statement. “Very unfavourable conditions for the players and for the spectacle,” she wrote with an added poop emoji.
Simona Halep, Coco Gauff dealing with injuries
Simona Halep and Coco Gauff are both hoping to shake off their respective injuries before the start of the US Open.
Halep suffered a thigh injury that forced her to withdraw from the Cincinnati Open and could be in doubt to play in New York.
That would be a disappointing blow for the 30-year-old Romanian, who has regained her form this season and was coming off a title win in the Canadian Open.
As for Gauff, she sprained her ankle and was forced to retire from her match against Marie Bouzkova at the Cincinnati Open.
The 18-year-old Gauff – who made a run to the French Open final earlier this year but lost to Iga Swiatek – was also victorious in the Canadian Open as she won the women’s doubles tournament, which saw her climb to top spot in the women’s doubles rankings.
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