Tennis superstar Serena Williams made history Friday, but it wasn’t the positive history she’s accustomed to making.
Top-ranked Williams withdrew from competition in the U.S. Open scheduled to begin Aug. 30 because of a foot injury, she told the Associated Press, becoming the first No. 1 ranked player to miss the championship tournament in its 35-year-history.
Williams, who won the Open championship three times, said in a released statement to the media that missing the Open is “one of the most devastating moments of my career.”
“It is with much frustration and deep sadness that I am having to pull out of the U.S. Open,” Serena stated. “My doctors have advised against my playing so that my foot can heal.”
According to the AP, Williams is still recovering from surgery after suffering cuts to her foot by broken glass at a restaurant while visiting Munich in July.
If not for the injury, the 28-year-old tennis star would have been favored to win her fourth U.S. Open and 14th Grand Slam Title. She had just won her fourth Wimbledon championship before cutting her foot.
“We regret that Serena Williams is unable to play the U.S. Open and wish her a speedy recovery,” U.S. Open tournament director Jim Curley told the AP. “She will be missed, but the tournament is about the competition and the players on the court.”