On the hunt for Grand Slam title number 24, Serena Williams seems not to leave anything to chance before the US Open (starting August 27). The 36-year-old will start with a wildcard at the hard court tournament from 6 August in Montreal – and could meet Angelique Kerber again at this premier event in Canada.
The idea of revenge will not have driven Serena Williams when the exceptional Florida player applied for the wildcard to the tournament in Montreal. Although Kerber is back on the grid for the first time after her 6-3, 6-3 final victory in Wimbledon over Williams in Canada, the American is probably more concerned with an ideal preparation for New York than with a “return match” against the Kieler, who is still on well-deserved holiday.
Serena Williams has also taken a break after her final defeat in the turf Mecca on Church Road, where she and her husband Alexis Ohanian and daughter Alexis Olympia (almost eleven months old) took a break in Venice. Meanwhile, the superstar is back in training mode and is preparing for the hard court season – initially for the event in San Jose (from 30 July).
Serena Williams is expecting a surprising amount before the US Open. After San Jose and Montreal she wants to compete in Cincinnati – before the 36-year-old wants to win her seventh big apple title since 1999 in Flushing Meadows. The Rogers Cup, which is held alternately in Toronto and Montreal, was won by the former number one in 2001, 2011 and 2013.
The two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) will also start in Montreal with a wildcard. Two more “free tickets” will be issued to Canadian players.