As U.S. Open looms, will Serena Williams be ready to play?

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and defending champion Dominic Thiem have bowed out of the U.S. Open, depriving the men’s field of a big piece of its non-Novak Djokovic star power.

Might Serena Williams be next, removing the biggest name in the women’s game from the tournament?

ESPN analyst Pam Shriver said on Tuesday she fears that might be the case, based in part on the lack of social media hype coming from the Williams team.

"I'm afraid we might be missing another one of the giants of the game for this U.S. Open, but we'll see," Shriver said on a video call with reporters on which she joined fellow analyst John McEnroe to preview the tournament.

Shriver said she found herself wondering in recent days, "Where is Serena?" Shriver said she has come to expect posts about Williams’ practice and training sessions before major tournaments.

"I find the silence a little bit disconcerting following what happened at Wimbledon," she said, referring to Williams retiring from her first-round match because of a right leg injury. "It's been quiet, really quiet."

Shriver added, "Unless anyone else has inside info, it's very quiet and I'm concerned that she's physically not prepared to play the U.S. Open, which is a tournament that emotionally has taken its toll. Through the years she's had some great highs and some of the most difficult lows that she's faced on the tennis court."

Even if Williams, who turns 40 next month, can compete, she will not be favored to win. She is 0-4 in Grand Slam finals since returning from maternity leave as she seeks a 24th career major title.

"Unfortunately, time is really running out," Shriver said. "When you think since she came back from maternity leave she did get to four major finals, unfortunately was never in one of them, really, didn't win a set in any of those four. She certainly had opportunities.

"My feeling is the depth of women's tennis over seven matches under the conditions of the U.S. Open on a hard court at this stage for Serena is not possible.

"I would love for her to prove me wrong. I just don't have enough evidence that she's going to be able to stay healthy in order to do what needs to be done, to win seven matches and be the last one standing, like she did for 23 times of her historic career."

Said McEnroe, "Hopefully she goes out on her terms. Either way she's the greatest female player in my book that has ever played, one of the greatest athletes, period, that's ever played.

"I don't think she's got to worry about whether she wins another one. I'm sure that she would love to be able to do that, if possible."

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.