The US Open will be the third consecutive Grand Slam without one of the Williams sisters. After Serena missed the French Open and Wimbledon, Venus will be sidelined this time.
Venus Williams withdrew on Friday, blaming the lingering left wrist injury that's sidelined her since Wimbledon.
"I have many great memories from competing at the US Open, and I regret that I will not be able to participate in 2006," said Williams, who won the hard-court Grand Slam tournament in 2000 and 2001. "I will miss the excitement of competing in front of the New York fans at one of the premier sporting events in the world. I look forward to returning in 2007."
Her agent, Carlos Fleming, said Williams plans to participate in the US Open's opening night ceremony Monday, when the complex used for the tournament will be renamed to honor Billie Jean King.
The next tournament on Williams' schedule is an indoor event in Luxembourg that starts Sept. 25, and Fleming said she has every intention of playing.
"It's kind of in Mother Nature's hands right now," Fleming said in a telephone interview, "and once she's ready to go, she'll be back out there."
{{/usCountry}}"It's kind of in Mother Nature's hands right now," Fleming said in a telephone interview, "and once she's ready to go, she'll be back out there."
{{/usCountry}}Williams was seeded 30th for the US Open; Vera Zvonareva, the highest-ranked player who wasn't seeded, will move into Williams' slot in the draw and will play Marta Domachowska of Poland in the first round.
When healthy, both Williams sisters are considered among the top players on tour. Venus has won five Grand Slam titles, including at Wimbledon last year. Serena has won seven, most recently at the 2005 Australian Open.
But this year, Venus has played only 17 matches, Serena just 12.
The 26-year-old Venus missed more than three months with a right elbow injury after her first-round loss at the Australian Open, and now has been out since July 1. Serena's chronic left knee problem kept her off the tour for six months in 2006, including while everyone was at Roland Garros and the All England Club. Her ranking tumbled so far she needed a wild card to get into the US Open.
CBS tennis analyst Mary Carillo spoke earlier in the week about the Williams' ability to perform well even without the sort of preparation other players count on.
"Even though one of them is seeded 30th and the other needed a wild card, I still think they're the best chance for an American going deep into the draw. It doesn't matter what they're ranked. I've seen both of them come in cold -- off the Arctic -- and win a major," Carillo said.
"They are the kind of people who have enough self-belief they give themselves a chance to work themselves into draws, if they're fit enough, and make a real mark."
Once again, that "if" is standing in the way for a Williams.