Serena Williams awoke with a sore and swollen right big toe Wednesday, prompting her to withdraw from the Western & Southern Open – the latest in her long history of foot problems and setbacks.
Williams had won two straight tournaments, at Stanford and Toronto, and her win Tuesday night at the Cincinnati-area tournament was her seventh match in eight days.
She decided to withdraw and rest the foot, which she cut on glass at a restaurant and needed two operations to repair last year. Williams was rounding back into form with the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 29.
“I don’t think this is a good time for me to take a big chance,” she said. The U.S. Open starts Aug. 29.
The good news for Williams is that she may be able to attend Saturday’s wedding between her friend Kim Kardashian and Nets forward Kris Humphries.
“I hadn’t thought about it,” she told reporters, according to the New York Times. “Now that I have time, I probably will.”
Williams is the third high-profile player to miss some or all of the tournament because of injury. Sister Venus Williams withdrew before the start because of a virus, and two-time defending champion Kim Clijsters couldn’t play because of an injured abdomen.
The tournament also lost top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki on Wednesday. Wozniacki was beaten by American Christina McHale 6-4, 7-5.
(The AP contributed)
