Serena Williams pulls out of Western & Southern Open, alongside sister Venus

Serena Williams announced that she will be withdrawing from the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, citing recovery from the injury she sustained at Wimbledon in June.

The 39-year old slipped on the grass in her opening round match at the All England Club, injuring her ankle in the process. She has not competed in any events since then, and there is now doubt as to whether she will compete in any warm up events ahead of the US Open, which begins at the end of August.

"Unfortunately, I will not be playing in the Western & Southern Open next week as I am still in recovery from my leg injury at Wimbledon," said Williams in a statement. “I will miss all of my fans in Cincinnati whom I look forward to seeing every summer. I plan to be back on the court very soon.”

Joining the 23-time Grand Slam champion on the sidelines is sister Venus Williams, who also recently announced that she would not be competing at the event. Additionally, World No.4 Sofia Kenin also released a statement saying she'd be skipping Cincinnati, with the hope of getting more rehab as she recovers from an injury.

“Unfortunately I had to make the difficult decision to withdraw from the Western & Southern Open next week,” said Kenin. “I am rehabbing well in hopes to play the U.S. Open later this month. I feel another week of recovery is necessary.”

The Western & Southern Open runs from August 14-August 22, 2021, with the US Open kicking off a week later.