Clijsters forced to pull out of U.S. Open
Kim Clijsters, a three-time U.S. Open champion, will not play in the U.S. Open after suffering from a stomach muscle injury.
According to The Guardian, Clijsters has not recovered in time to defend her title.
“Unfortunately I will not be able to defend my US Open title this year because of a stomach muscle injury. Two weeks of rehab was not enough to heal this injury,” she said.
Clijsters will not play at the WTA Premier Tour events in Tokyo and Beijing as well.
“If a gradual approach is not taken, I will relapse in the same injury and therefore I have also no other possibility than to withdraw from the tournaments in Tokyo and Beijing,” she explained.
USA Today reports that the tennis star’s withdrawal from the U.S. Open puts the spotlight on Venus and Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. The tournament begins on August 29.
“Obviously I’m very disappointed. I trained very hard this summer and felt in a good shape to play the US Open,” Clijsters said.
