Serena Williams Drops Out of the 2015 Season

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Serena Williams reacts after losing a point to Roberta Vinci, of Italy, during a semifinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Friday, Sept. 11, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Serena Williams reacts after losing a point to Roberta Vinci, of Italy, during a semifinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, on Sept. 11, 2015.Seth Wenig—AP
By Tessa Berenson Rogers

After a stunning defeat in the US Open semi finals, Serena Williams has decided to drop out of the rest of the 2015 tennis season.

Williams withdrew from the China Open and the WTA Finals in Singapore and has said she needs to focus on her health.

“It’s no secret I’ve played injured most of the year — whether it was my elbow, my knee, or, in the finals moments after a certain match in Flushing, my heart,” Williams told the China Open website. Flushing refers to the location of her defeat at the US Open to Roberta Vinci.

“I’m a fierce competitor. And I want to compete as well as I can, for as long as I can. So I am taking a proactive step,” she said of withdrawing from the tournaments.

Williams said she will return to practice and exhibition matches later in the year. She’s currently the No.1 women’s tennis player in the world.

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Write to Tessa Berenson Rogers at tessa.Rogers@time.com