Serena Williams will not play next week’s Wuhan Open, nor the mandatory China Open in Beijing the following week.
The world No.2 cited a right shoulder injury in withdrawing from the Chinese tournaments, both Premier-level events on the WTA calendar.
Williams said she was targeting a return at the WTA Finals in Singapore, for which she has already qualified.
Williams hasn’t competed in either Wuhan or Beijing since 2014; last year she skipped all remaining events in 2015 after her shock US Open semifinal defeat to Roberta Vinci.
She lost at the same stage in New York this year to Karolina Pliskova.
In her last WTA Finals appearance, in 2014, she won the title.
Williams turns 35 on Monday.
Sorry to hear from @SerenaWilliams that she is out of both #Wuhan Open & @ChinaOpen with a right shoulder injury. We wish her all the best
— Wuhan Open (@wuhanopentennis) September 23, 2016
We hope @serenawilliams will recover soon and return to the court in the near future. All the best. https://t.co/JwgJTOZplu
— China Open (@ChinaOpen) September 23, 2016
Serena out of Wuhan and Beijing. Says she's targeting a return in Singapore @WTAFinalsSG. https://t.co/nI0osueZgF
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) September 23, 2016
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