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By Richard Pagliaro
© Natasha Peterson/Corleve

(August 20, 2010) World No. 1 Serena Williams has stepped out of the US Open citing the foot injury that has sidelined her since she captured her 13th career Grand Slam championship at Wimbledon last month. It is the first time in the history of the WTA Tour computer rankings the World No. 1 will miss the US Open. The foot injury has kept Williams' foot confined to a soft boot and forced her out of the US Open Series.

It marks the first time since 2003 Williams will not play the Flushing Meadows major. She missed the 2003 US Open after undergoing knee surgery.

"​I'm devastated to not be participating in US Open," Williams posted on twitter. "Grand Slams are my life. My soul.... I will miss it more than you can ever imagine."

The three-time US Open champion is the second Grand Slam champion to withdraw, joining Justine Henin, who pulled the plug on her season after suffering an elbow injury at Wimbledon.

Williams lost to Kim Clijsters in the 2009 US Open semifinals and was fined $82,500 after being defaulted following her obscenity-laced outburst at a lineswoman over a foot fault call. Her return to New York this year would have been one of the most compelling story lines of the season's final Grand Slam. With both Williams and Henin out, Clijsters emerged as the favorite to defend her title in New York. However, Clijsters took treatment for a leg injury in today's 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 loss to Vera Zvonareva, who defeated the two-time US Open champion in last month's Wimbledon quarterfinals.

The US Open begins on August 30th.

Defending US Open men's champion Juan Martin del Potro and 2008 Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are also doubtful for the season's final Grand Slam. Venus Williams, who has also missed the entire US Open Series due to a knee injury, said she plans to play the Open.

Last month, Serena Williams cut the bottom of her foot on a broken glass while at a restaurant. At the time, the extent of the injury was unknown. The injury also forced Williams to cancel her scheduled World TeamTennis appearances.



In a conference call with the media last month, Williams said she was looking forward to returning to the Open and believed she would face less pressure since she's not the defending champion.

"I think I just will be happy to get there," Williams said last month. "And obviously not happy I didn't win the last one, but I won't have to worry about defending my title and it's always easier going into a tournament where you don't have to defend your title. I'll be happy about that and looking to just do my best."