Written by By Katia Hetter, CNN
Serena Williams is out of the Australian Open 2019 in Melbourne due to a left leg injury, the tennis legend announced on Instagram Wednesday.
Williams, 37, wrote that she will undergo surgery and will be sidelined for the remainder of the year.
“Please keep praying for me,” she wrote. “I love u guys so much. Thank you for all of the sweet messages.”
A former world No. 1, Williams won the Australian Open in 2018 for the 23rd major of her career. She won the tournament in 1999, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017.
The world’s top female player has announced she will retire at the end of this year.
The statement appears alongside a photo of her playing on grass in her bedroom at age nine.
USA Tennis says it will request a replacement for the 2019 Australian Open when the draw is made Wednesday. The world’s top two ranked players, Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep, will make the draw together.