In victory or defeat, this tennis season belonged to Serena Williams. She sparked global chatter throughout, chasing the Grand Slam all the way to the final Friday of the United States Open in September, when Roberta Vinci shockingly stopped her short.
But Williams, by her own choice, is not playing at the WTA Finals this week in Singapore. In her absence, that elite tournament feels less like a fitting end to a fascinating season and more like a spectacle unto itself.
There is no sugarcoating Williams’s withdrawal.
“A terrible blow for the WTA,” said Jo Durie, a former British player who is now a television analyst.