Chinese tennis star Li Na will miss U.S. Open; right knee still sore

A knee injury that has bothered No. 2-ranked Li Na since spring has now forced her to withdraw from the U.S. Open.

Na is the only tennis player from China to win a Grand slam singles title — she has two. Her announcement on Thursday came by way of a Facebook posting.

Writing that the knee has been sore since March, Na added that she is “just not where I need to be in order to play at the highest level.�

Her right knee was taped through the early rounds at Wimbledon this summer. She wrote: “My medical team has advised me that I need to take some time off to rest my knee.�

Earlier this week, Rafael Nadal cast doubt on whether he will play in the Open in late August, withdrawing from hard-court tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati because of a sore wrist.