Serena Williams will miss two upcoming WTA tournaments in China due to an ongoing shoulder injury.
The 34-year-old has been forced to miss a series of tournaments over the summer due to inflammation in her right shoulder. During the US Open, the former world No.1 was also struggling with a knee injury, according to her coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
“It’s impossible to compete without moving. That’s why she missed so much, so many unforced errors, was because she was so slow.” Mouratoglou said about the injury following Williams’ lost to Karolina Pliskova earlier this month.
In light of Williams’ injury woes, she will miss a large portion of the Asian swing of the tour for the second year in a row. Last year she ended her season early after playing in the US Open to ‘focus on her health’. This time round, Williams will miss the Wuhan Open, a Premier 5 tournament, and the Beijing Open.
“I am disappointed that I will not be able to compete at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open or the China Open due to continuing issues with my right shoulder,” Williams said in a statement. “I have been practicing and playing but my shoulder is still not fit for tournament play.”
This season, Williams has only been able to play in eight tournaments due to her injury problems. In a recent interview with CNN, the 22-time grand slam champion has stated that she is in no hurry to return to the tour after her lackluster year.
“I definitely want to make sure I’m healthy and playing at my best or at least 80% healthy or 70% healthy — that way I can be able to play at a higher level.” She said.
In 2016 Williams has achieved a win-loss of 38-6 on the tour. She has claimed two titles in Rome and the Wimbledon Championships. If she wins no more trophies this season, it will be Williams’ smallest title collection since 2011.
All is not lost for Williams, who is still hoping to finish her season at the WTA Finals in Singapore, which will get underway on October 23rd. She has won the year-end Championships five times in her career with her most recent triumph occurring in 2014.
