Venus Williams joins Serena Williams on US Open player withdrawal list

Former world No. 1 Venus Williams has announced her withdrawal from the US Open. 

Williams, now ranked at No. 147 in the world, last played at this week's WTA event in Chicago. 

Williams didn't impress in Chicago, having suffered a 6-2 6-3 loss to Su-Wei Hsieh. 

Williams didn't make the main draw cut for the US Open but the tournament organizers handed her a wild card. 

Williams has enjoyed success at Flushing Meadows, having won it all at the tournament in 1999 and 2009. 

"Having some issues with my leg all this summer. Just couldn't work through it...I just was unable to figure out the equation--and there's been so many times when I was able to figure it out," Williams said. 

The Williams sisters out of the US Open 

On the same day, Serena Williams announced her withdrawal from the US Open. 

"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 told her 13.5 million followers 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 last played at Wimbledon, where she retired just a few games into her first round match. 

"Serena has won 23 majors, period, end of story,” former world No. 1 Martina Navratilova said. “She’s still Serena. I don’t think winning 24 makes her any greater. The fact she’s trying is to be commended. The people saying she shouldn’t have tried because she’s just hurting her legacy, they are full of it. My goodness. The only people who never fail are the ones that never try.”

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3mxobru