Extending her break from Tennis, Serena Williams withdrew from the US Open on Wednesday. 

“After careful consideration and following the advice of my doctors and medical team, I have decided to withdraw from the US Open to allow my body to heal completely from a torn hamstring,” She wrote on Instagram. “New York is one of the most exciting cities in the world and one of my favorite places to play — I’ll miss seeing the fans but will be cheering everyone on from afar. Thank you for your continued support and love. I’ll see you soon.”

Serena Williams played her last match at Wimbledon on June 29, after which she took a break due to an injured right hamstring. The 39-year-old was in tears when she exited Centre Court with assistance. 

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Last week, she skipped Western and Southern Open in the Cincinnati suburbs to recover better, and said in a statement that she planned “to be back on the court very soon”.

However, she could not recover well enough to play at the US Open, which begins on August 30 in New York. 

Serena had also missed the US Open back in 2017, following a break that she took during the birth of her daughter, Olympia. She returned to the tour in March 2018 and until now had participated in every Grand Slam tournament since her comeback.

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She lost the 2018 US Open final to Naomi Osaka of Japan and the 2019 US Open final to Bianca Andreescu of Canada. This leaves the US Open without three Tennis legends -Roger Federer, 40, and Rafael Nadal, 35, also withdrew because of injuries, ending their 2021 seasons. 

Serena Williams is known for her  intimidating serve and returns. However, she is unlikely to win a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title this year.