NY Times-Serena Williams Drops Out of U.S. Open

Serena Williams: Phil Noble/Reuters

(Story reported by John Branch for the NY Times)

Serena Williams will not play in the United States Open because of a lingering foot injury.

The top-ranked women’s player in the world and a three-time champion of the Open, Williams called the withdrawal “one of the most devastating moments of my career.”

It will be the first time in the 35-year history of the computerized rankings that the No. 1 player will miss the Open, according to the Women’s Tennis Association.

Williams sliced her right foot on a piece of broken glass at a restaurant in Munich last month, a few days after winning her fourth Wimbledon singles title. She had surgery in mid-July and has not played since.

At last year’s Open, Williams lost to the eventual champion Kim Clijsters in the semifinals, a match remembered mostly for her climactic tirade against a line judge who called a foot fault.

(Click here to read the full story on the NY Times website.)