Unfit Serena Williams ends season, pulls out of WTA Finals

New Delhi: It's the end of the season for Serena Williams. The World No. 1 women's player on Thursday announced that she is taking time out to heal properly.

Williams, 34, was scheduled to play next week in Beijing and have already qualified for the year-ending WTA Finals in Singapore.

.Serena Williams said she had withdrawn from the final 2015 events to address her health "and to heal". — China Open (@ChinaOpen) October 1, 2015

"I am taking a proactive step and withdrawing from tournaments in Beijing and Singapore to properly address my health and take the time to heal," she was quoted as saying in a report in China Open website.

She was two wins from completing a calendar-year Grand Slam at the US Open, but ended up losing the semi-finals to Italian Roberta Vinci.

"It's no secret I've played injured most of the year -- whether it was my elbow, my knee, or, in the final moments after a certain match in Flushing, my heart," the American added.

The winner of 69 career titles since 1999, including 21 Grand Slam titles, finished the year with a win-loss record of 53-3, claiming five titles (Australian Open, Miami, French Open, Wimbledon, Cincinnati). Her losses were to Petra Kvitova, in Madrid, to Belinda Bencic, in Toronto, and to Vinci in New York.

Despite the early end, Serena secured the 2015 year-end World No.1 ranking for a fifth time after her semifinal run in New York.

But, she will play some exhibition matches before the start of the 2016 campaign.

“This is a very difficult decision, but one ultimately made because of the love of the game. I plan to return to practicing and participating in exhibition matches later this year. And when I do, l will focus and focus and focus so I can continue my journey in this beautiful game,” she added.