White Plains, NY: The US Tennis Association says Serena Williams has pulled out of the team that will face Italy in the Fed Cup final.
USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier told The Associated Press on Saturday that Williams informed US Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez she won't play in the Nov. 7-8 matches.
Vania King replaces Williams on the roster, joining surprise U.S. Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin, Liezel Huber and Alexa Glatch.
Fernandez had announced this week Williams would play Fed Cup for the first time since 2007.
Williams leads active women with 11 Grand Slam singles titles and is unbeaten in Fed Cup singles play. She is in this weekend's semifinals at the season-ending WTA championships in Doha, Qatar.
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, October 31, 2009, 22:00