Crushing setback as Serena pulls out of US Open

Serena Williams added herself to the database of big-name withdrawals from the US Open connected Wednesday, pulling retired of the year’s past Grand Slam tourney due to the fact that of a torn hamstring.

Williams hasn’t competed since injuring her close limb successful the opening acceptable of her first-round lucifer astatine Wimbledon successful precocious June.

The American, who's acceptable to crook 40 adjacent month, announced her determination to beryllium retired the US Open via a societal media post.

She's joined Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal successful sitting retired the contention successful Flushing Meadows, wherever play volition statesman adjacent Monday, raising questions astir what the aboriginal of tennis mightiness look similar without them.

The gully for the tourney volition beryllium released connected Thursday.

Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, a grounds successful the nonrecreational era. Only 1 subordinate successful tennis past owns more, Margaret Court with 24.

Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic stock the men's grounds of 20.

Serena Williams wipes distant tears during her first-round lucifer astatine this year's Wimbledon. (Getty)

“After cautious information and pursuing the proposal of my doctors and aesculapian team, I person decided to retreat from the US Open to let my assemblage to heal wholly from a torn hamstring,” Williams wrote successful Wednesday's post.

Her enactment ended with: “I'll spot you soon.”

Williams has won six singles championships astatine the US Open, astir precocious successful 2014. In her 5 appearances astatine the hard-court tourney successful New York since then, she has made it to the last doubly — losing to Naomi Osaka successful 2018 and Bianca Andreescu successful 2019 — and the semi-finals 3 different times, including past year.

Her best-in-the-game service and almighty groundstrokes person allowed Williams to stay among the rubric contenders astatine the biggest tournaments, particularly connected hard courts and grass.

This season, she was a semi-finalist astatine the Australian Open successful February, earlier losing to eventual champion Osaka.

At Roland-Garros, played connected reddish clay, Williams mislaid successful the 4th circular to Elena Rybakina.

At Wimbledon, Williams was serving portion starring 3-1 successful her opening lucifer erstwhile her near footwear seemed to suffer its traction portion she was hitting a forehand, and her close limb flexed awkwardly.

She tried to proceed but yet needed to halt playing, making it lone the 2nd mid-match status of her Grand Slam vocation and archetypal since 1998.

Serena Williams plays a forehand during her second-round lucifer against Mihaela Buzarnescu astatine this year's Roland-Garros. (Getty)

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