Name: The biggest stars in tennis are dropping out of one of the sport's most prestigious tournaments due to COVID fears, injuries, and 65% lower prize money
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The biggest stars in tennis are dropping out of one of the sport's most prestigious tournaments due to COVID fears, injuries, and 65% lower prize money

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Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile.Redeem nowOver 3 million people read ; you should too!Something is loading.became the latest tennis superstar to drop out of this year's Miami Open on Monday as the tournament continues to be ravaged by injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic.Williams, a eight-time winner in Florida, removed her name from the entry list just hours before the draw ceremony, citing the need to rest after she had "oral surgery." Williams has not specified the exact nature of the surgery."Miami is a special tournament for me because it's my home," said the Florida native in a statement. "I am sad I won't be able to see the incredible fans this year, but I look forward to coming back soon."Williams joins stars including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer in withdrawing from the tournament, which was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. Traditionally the tournament is seen as one of the biggest on the tennis calendar, behind only Grand Slams in prestige.This year, however, things look different.Federer said last week that he had&nbsp; following a lengthy injury lay-off which saw him miss the Australian Open, while Nadal withdrew in order to Djokovic announced his withdrawal on Friday for family reasons, and because of COVID restrictions."Dear fans, I'm very sorry to announce that this year I won't travel to Miami to compete," the Serbian tweeted on Friday."I decided to use this precious time at home to stay with my family. With all [the] restrictions, I need to find balance in my time on tour and at home. I look forward to coming back next year!"—Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) French star Benoit Paire said the absence of the male trio, who will all miss&nbsp;the same ATP Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in 17 years, proves there is an issue with the current circuit.&nbsp;"I say maybe bulls--- under the influence of impulsiveness," "But when I see that the Miami Masters 1000 will be played without Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Dominic [Thiem], Gaël [Monfils] and Stan [Wawrinka], there is a problem at the moment on the circuit."Paire also used the hashtags "bubble" and "prizemoney" – alluding to the fact that the Open In 2019 the total prize money for the Miami Open was around $18 million, while in 2021 it is just over $6.6 million.In 2019, champions Roger Federer and Ashleigh Barty took home over $1.3 million for victory. Winners this year will get just over $300,000.Although most withdrawals came beforehand, authorities in Miami-Dade county this week have also declared a state of emergency in Miami Beach.The city has been flooded by thousands of partygoers, who have come to the city to celebrate Spring Break. It is feared that the partiers, many of whom have come from across the US, could help increase COVID rates in Florida, which have been falling in recent weeks.seeing over two million cases and 32,000 deaths.—Reuters (@Reuters) police have arrested over 1,000 people, while an&nbsp;8 p.m. curfew has also been put in place in an attempt to stop large gatherings.&nbsp;"It feels in some ways like our city is a tinder right now," "It's not just about not wearing masks and physical distancing. It's also some of the folks coming are coming with bad intentions, so there's been brawls and even gunplay."Sign up for notifications from Insider! Stay up to date with what you want to know.Subscribe to push notificationsAn icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.Keep readingIt indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile.Redeem nowOver 3 million people read ; you should too!Something is loading.became the latest tennis superstar to drop out of this year's Miami Open on Monday as the tournament continues to be ravaged by injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic.Williams, a eight-time winner in Florida, removed her name from the entry list just hours before the draw ceremony, citing the need to rest after she had "oral...

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The biggest stars in tennis are dropping out of one of the sport's most prestigious tournaments due to COVID fears, injuries, and 65% lower prize money

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