If you’re having withdrawals from top-tier tennis—and given the particularly busy summer we just experienced, that’s understandable—you’re probably looking forward to next week’s Wuhan Open. The Premier-level tournament is loaded with talent; 16 of the Top 18 players are scheduled to compete. The lowest direct acceptance into the 56-player draw was world No. 55 Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
But it is worth noting who won’t be in Wuhan—specifically, Serena Williams. The world No. 2 announced on Thursday that she was pulling out of both the Wuhan Open and the following week’s China Open with a right shoulder injury. Williams’ primary aim is to be ready for the season-ending championships in Singapore, which begin 30 days from now.