Serena Williams pulls out of 2021 U.S. Open

Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Serena Williams announced her withdrawal from the 2021 U.S. Open on Wednesday, citing the torn hamstring she sustained in June at Wimbledon.

"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 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 from afar."

Williams, 39, sustained the right leg injury in the first set of her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich at Wimbledon 2021 on June 29 in London.

She slipped on the wet grass court at the All England Club and attempted to play through the injury. She was moved to tears when she tried to serve. Williams later fell for a second time, retired from the match, waved to the crowd and walked off the court.

The No. 22 player in the WTA singles rankings hasn't played since. She sits on 23 career Grand Slam singles titles, one short of the record held by Margaret Court.

Williams advanced to consecutive semifinals at the 2020 U.S. Open and 2021 Australian Open, but hasn't reached a final since 2019. Her last major title came at the 2017 Australian Open, when she was two months pregnant with daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian.

Men's No. 5 Rafael Nadal, No. 6 Dominic Thiem and No. 9 Roger Federer also announced their withdrawals from the U.S. Open earlier this month due to injuries.

The final Grand Slam of the season runs from Aug. 30 through Sept. 12 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.

Williams is a six-time U.S. Open singles champion.