Kim Clijsters Out of U.S. Open

Two-time defending U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters of Belgium will not go for three in a row this year because of a stomach muscle injury.

Clijsters, who missed Wimbledon with an ankle injury, pulled out of the WTA tournament in Toronto this month with a muscle strain on the left side of her stomach. In a statement Friday, she said "two weeks of rehab is not enough to heal this injury."

"Obviously I'm very disappointed," she said. "I trained very hard this summer and felt in a good shape to play the U.S. Open."

Clijsters, who is now expected to drop from her ranking of No. 3 in the world, said she would also pull out of tournaments in Japan and China in September.

Serena Williams Pulls Out of Cincinnati Due to Foot

Serena Williams withdrew from the Western & Southern Open with a sore toe on Wednesday and described it as "a blessing in disguise" on the eve of the US Open.

She showed no sign of any toe problem in beating Lucie Hradecka 6-3, 7-6 in the first round on Tuesday. But she did admit to being tired towards the end and was definitely restricted in some of her movement.
Serena has bigger challenges ahead, not the least being returning to Flushing Meadows later this month for

the first time since her semi-final against Kim Clijsters two years ago when she abused a line judge for calling a foot fault against her on what turned out to be the final point of the match as it led to a decisive penalty point against her.

Asked if this injury was a complication of the cut to her foot she suffered after the 2010 Wimbledon tournament, an injury that kept her out for more than a year, she said: "It is but not nearly as extreme. It's just a bit of an aggravation because I think I've been pounding it a lot and playing a lot.

"I felt it a little bit [against Hradecka] and I thought – because I felt it before – OK, this is normal. But I don't think this is a good time for me to take a big chance. I just don't think that would be smart.

"I woke up this morning not feeling excellent and then went to the gym to see how it felt before I hit practice. That definitely didn't sit well. There is a little swelling, so I thought it would be a wise decision. I talked to my dad and I called Venus. She advised that I do what's best for me, which would be to take care of my body.

Serena Williams in action Tuesday in Cincinnati

The Highs and Lows of Thomas Levet's Sunday

French golfer Thomas Levet was on top of the world Sunday for winning the French Open Golf Championship.  That win in his home country earned him a coveted spot in the British Open next week.

Then Levet had a brain fart.  He decided to jump into a lake to celebrate his victory.  The water wasn't quite as deep as Levet thought and he landed badly and hurt his leg.  But is is serious?

New now comes out that Levet withdrew Wednesday from the year's third major after being ruled out for six weeks with a broken shin.  You can tell from the video clip below he knew he did something stupid as he limped out of the lake.

His spot at Royal St. George's will go to Robert Garrigus of the United States.

"I am extremely disappointed to miss out on the Open Championship, but my specialist has advised me to have an operation on the fracture," said the 42-year-old Levet.

Levet's celebration at the 18th green of Le Golf National outside Paris were criticized by Colin Montgomerie, who played alongside the Frenchman in Europe's Ryder Cup-winning side in 2004.

I don't know what is worse for Levet; the fact that he broke his shin and is out of the British Open, or the fact that his is being criticized by "Monte".

Pujols is Healed and is Activated to Play

The St. Louis Cardinals announced that Pujols will be activated before tonight's game against the Reds. He will not start but will be available to pinch hit. Today was the first day Pujols was eligible to come off the disabled list.

The injury to Pujols happened in a first-base collision with the Kansas City Royals' Wilson Betemit on June 19, said the wrist feels good and he has been swinging a bat for a week

Tiger Woods Out of Players Championship After Nine Holes

Tiger Woods withdrew after nine holes at The Players Championship on Thursday because of leg injuries that sent him limping off the course toward the lockerroom and towards an uncertain future.  When will he be healthy and play again?

Woods shot a 42 on the front nine, walking some 20 yards behind his playing partners, holding his club for support and limping more noticeably with each passing hole.

After taking a bogey on the par-5 ninth, he handed his card to PGA champion Martin Kaymer, then walked back to inform Matt Kuchar that he was leaving early.

It was his first competition since the Masters, where Woods said he hurt his left knee and Achilles' tendon while hitting from pine straw in the third round. He described it as a "minor injury" and skipped the tournament last week to give his leg time to heal.