A day after her coach questioning her motivation to play for the rest of the year, world number one Serena Williams has confirmed a pullout from all competition until the end of 2015. After a noticeable absence from tennis since her U.S. Open shock loss against Roberta Vinci, she has withdrawn from the two events she was slated to play later in the year, the China Open next week, and the prestigious WTA finals in Singapore. It is unclear whether she will play the IPTL in December, where she is expected to play for the Manila Mavericks.

In a press conference in Beijing, she addressed the rumors that have been swirling around, saying, "My journey in tennis this year has been at times exhilarating, at times disappointing. But in every case, in victory and defeat, it's been extremely rewarding. I'm grateful beyond words. I've played injured most of the year, may it be my elbow or my knee. I'm a fierce competitor and I want to compete as well as I can, for as long as I can. This is a very difficult decision, but one ultimately made because of the love of the game." 

Her semifinals loss to Vinci at Flushing Meadows that halted her calendar slam, (which can be considered one of the biggest upsets in women's tennis), seems to shaken Serena to her core. Despite her constant reassurance that she didn't feel the pressure at all before the U.S. Open, it was clear how much the loss meant to her, and how much she had wanted to create history on home soil. 

However, this news is no reason to doubt Williams' motivation for the future, or to make assumptions about her 'retirement'. It is instead just the news of a player taking a break from tennis after a spectacular year to recharge her batteries.

"I don't doubt she will have the motivation to win more Grand Slams and reach records. The motivation will be there and no doubt she'll be the same Serena," Williams' coach Patrick Mouratoglou stated yesterday. "She has just won four Grand Slams in a row and got to the semifinals of a fifth. It's not time to doubt whether age will affect her. She has a lot of time left." 

With the withdrawal of Serena Williams, top seeds at the China Open now include Svetlana Kuznetsova, Sam Stosur and Aga Radwanska.