Serena Williams added herself to the list of big-name withdrawals from the US Open on Wednesday, pulling out of the year’s last Grand Slam tournament because of a torn hamstring.
Williams hasn’t competed since injuring her right leg in the first set of her first-round match at Wimbledon in late June.
The American, who will turn 40 next month, announced her decision to sit out the US Open via a social media post. She joins Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem in sitting out the competition in Flushing Meadows, where play begins on Monday.
“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,” Williams wrote in a statement 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 from afar.”
Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, a record in the professional era. Only one player in tennis history owns more, Margaret Court with 24. Williams skipped the Olympics in Tokyo and opted out of the Cincinnati Masters, a tuneup event to the US Open.
Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic share the men’s record of 20.