Serena Williams has done it again, withdrawing just days before the beginning of a tournament she had agreed to play. She is claiming it is because of recurring pain in her right foot, according to tournament organizers.
Williams has not played competitively since she was injured in an off-court incident in Munich, following her 13th career Grand Slam victory at Wimbledon this July. She received stitches immediately and then had surgery when she returned to the United States.
She was expected to make her much-anticipated return to the tour next week and had her itinerary planned to arrive Sunday in Austria. She felt pain while training in Florida on Saturday and a scan reportedly showed that her foot has not healed properly.
She returned to practice in September after having surgery but twice put off her comeback, withdrawing from the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and the China Open in Beijing.
The Australian Open and Wimbledon champion played only six tournaments this year and will lose her No. 1 ranking to Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki when the list is released Monday.
One begins to wonder if this is the beginning of the end for Williams. Perhaps she will never get back to the WTA tour. Both age and injuries are against her.
