Serena Williams has decided to pull out of the Western & Southern Open citing a shoulder injury.  Williams had taken a wild card entry after her exit in the Olympics. “I'm very disappointed I'm not able to compete in the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati as I was really looking forward to defending my title,” she said. “My shoulder inflammation continues to be a challenge, but I am anxious to return to the court as soon as possible.”

The withdrawal opens the door for the world no. 2 Angelique Kerber, who will assume the top spot if she wins the title in Cincinnati. Williams has held the top ranking for 183 consecutive weeks.

It was a very disappointing week in Rio for the French tennis contingent who failed to medal in any events. In fact, they seemed to make more news off the court than on. Benoit Paire was dismissed from the team for violating rules while Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia were nearly defaulted prior to their first-round doubles match for not wearing the same colors. This led Mladenovic to lash out at the Federation Francaise de Tennis (FFT).

“Thanks to our federation, so incompetent, to have ruined a sporting moment so important in the careers of Caroline Garcia and me,” she opined. “This incident off court cost a lot of energy, and unfortunately our tennis was not high and we could not succeed.”

The results and incidents in Rio led France's National Technical Director Arnaud di Pasquale to respond. “It is not good at all, we missed. It was logical to have plenty of ambitions. We had to manage more off the field than on the field. It's a shame because basically due to the problems, the atmosphere was tense. I did not believe that all this could play on performance, but, inevitably, it did.”

He continued, “Self-criticism, we must all do it, everybody has to question the staff and athletes. We need every athlete to take responsibility. You are at the Games; you adapt to the conditions. A tennis player can change habits for ten days, it’s not as if the environment was unsettling. Note that I'm not trying to clear myself, I'm just saying that the Federation is there to try to put the athletes in the best conditions, and not the reverse.”

He made the statements to the publication L'Equipe.

There is potential good news for Maria Sharapova fans. The Russian, who was given a 2-year ban for violating anti-doping rules, may be allowed back on tour in January, according to Russia’s tennis federation, Shamil Tarpishchev.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced that a ruling in the case will be made before September 19. Tarpishchev stated, “A decision will be made in September. I’m not certain but I believe that she’ll start playing as of January 2017.”

If he is accurate, the five-time major champion will return in time to compete at the Australian Open.

Meanwhile, American Michael Mmoh won the Boys’ 18 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan and will receive a wild card entry into the upcoming U. S. Open. Mmoh is currently ranked 386th in the world but his 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 victory against Vasil Kirkov in the Final, cemented his path to New York.