What Was Going On The Last Time Williams Missed Grand Slam

BY ESPN

Exactly six years ago this week, the first ball toss of Roland Garros headed skyward. Serena Williams, who was near the end of a lengthy rehabilitation from a serious foot injury and treatment for a pulmonary embolism, was absent from the women's draw.

She hasn't missed a Grand Slam event since, in a remarkable stretch that culminated with her 23rd Slam title, an Open era record, at the Australian Open in January. No one knew then what we all know now: Williams was pregnant with her first child, and her 2017 season would end on that high note.

What was going on the last time there was a Serena-less Slam in 2011? ESPN.com takes a trip back to that week in sports and popular culture:

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark topped the WTA rankings. Today, Woz is No. 12 in the world. Two of the top-10 players in 2011, Li Na and Kim Clijsters, have since retired. Williams was slotted in at No. 17 at the time.

By contrast, the Big Four ensconced at the top of the ATP rankings in 2011 are still in this week's top five. Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are Nos. 1 and 2, while Rafael Nadal is No. 4, and Roger Federer is the fifth-ranked player.

Swimmer Katie Ledecky, arguably the other most dominant woman in her sport today, was 14 years old and about to graduate from eighth grade at Little Flower School in Bethesda, Maryland. Ledecky, now completing her freshman year at Stanford University, did not enter her first senior meet until the 2012 Olympic Trials. She has since won five Olympic gold medals and six Olympic medals total.

The Chicago Bulls and their youngest ever NBA MVP, Derrick Rose, lost the Eastern Conference finals to the Miami Heat 4-1 on May 26.

After missing the playoffs completely the previous three seasons, the Boston Bruins beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Bruins went on to defeat the Vancouver Canucks for the Stanley Cup title in another series that went the limit.

Oprah Winfrey signed off on the final episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" after a 25-year run.

Across the United States, the average price of gas began creeping downward after topping $4 a gallon.

"Bossypants" by Tina Fey led the New York Times nonfiction best-seller list. "Dead Reckoning" by Charlaine Harris was the No. 1 title in fiction.

The top-grossing movie in the U.S. that week was "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," which pulled in $90.151 million. In Week 2 of the tournament, it was surpassed by "The Hangover, Part II" ($85.9 million).

Adele's breakthrough hit "Rolling in the Deep'' rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list, where it would remain for seven weeks. The track later won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Short Form Video.