Topline

Sunday gameplay at the French Open saw another day of surprises, as tennis star Serena Williams lost in the fourth round of the tournament just hours after Roger Federer announced he would exit the tournament over a knee injury, marking early exits for two of the sport’s best players ever. 

Key Facts

Williams lost in straight sets Sunday against Elena Rybakina, a 22-year-old Russian-Kazakhstani player who hadn’t yet been born when Williams played her first tournament at Roland Garros in 1998.

Williams’ loss occurred just hours after Federer announced he was pulling out of the French Open ahead of his fourth-round match Monday, saying he wanted to have time to rest his right knee, which underwent two surgeries last year, before Wimbledon starts in three weeks.

The French Open, one of the first major sporting events in Europe since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, has been marked by premature exits by some of tennis’ biggest stars.

Ashleigh Barty, the tournament’s No. 1 seed, lost in straight sets Thursday, which she partially blamed on an injury to her left hip. Naomi Osaka, who was seeded No. 2, withdrew from the tournament last week after she was fined $15,000 for refusing to take part in mandatory post-match press conferences, saying they were detrimental to her mental health.

While some of the most well-known players have left the tournament, there are still a number of high-profile players left, like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on the men’s side, and Victoria Azarenka and Coco Gauff on the women’s.

Key Background

Both Williams and Federer are considered two of the best tennis players of all time—Federer is tied with Rafael Nadal for the men’s record for most Grand Slam titles, at 20 each,  while Williams is one title away from tying with retired Australian player Margaret Court for the all-time record of 24 Grand Slam championships. Both turn 40 this year, which has prompted speculation of retirement, though Federer and Williams both say they’re looking forward to Wimbledon later this month. Both typically perform well on Wimbledon’s grass surface.