Serena Williams Opts Out Of U.S. Open Due to Hamstring Injury

Tennis legend Serena Williams announced on her Instagram page that she will not be participating in the upcoming U.S. Open after suffering a torn hamstring at Wimbledon. She will join a list of fellow tennis greats, notably Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Dominic Thiem, who will be opting out of the competition due to injury.

“After careful consideration and following the advice of my doctors and medical team, I have decided to withdraw from the U.S. Open to allow my body to heal completely from a torn hamstring,” Williams said, “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.”

In a phone interview with the Los Angeles Times, Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou expressed optimism that the 39-year-old will recover very shortly. “First of all, it is going to work out. We know it’s just a question of weeks,” he said, “We know also that if the U.S. would take place maybe three weeks later, she would be ready. So it’s just a question of time, so no particular stress there.”

The injury has raised questions over whether Williams is approaching the end of her dominant career. Her powerful style of play has helped her collect 39 Grand Slam titles, four Olympic gold medals and rake in over $94 million in prize money.