Serena Williams decided to skip another tournament after her old thumb injury won’t give in and forced her to pull out of the Pilot Pen due to kick off on Sunday in New Heaven, Connecticut.

The announcement was made Friday by the tournament’s director, citing a statement released by the WTA Tour number eight.

“Today I tried to have a full practice, hoping that my thumb would feel better,” the younger sister of Venus Williams said in the statement.

”But unfortunately it is still not 100 per cent and I am not able to play at the level that I had hoped. I'm frustrated and extremely disappointed that I won't be able to play.”

This would have been her first participation at the New Heaven tournament, as she will remain without an official game in more than two months. Her last appearance of court was made on July 4 on the Wimbledon grass, where Justine Henin defeated her in the quarter-finals, 4-6, 6-3, 3-6.

Williams won’t have a warm-up tournament before the US Open opens its gates at Flushing Meadows on August 27. She had to deal with a similar situation last season, missing out on several WTA events, absences that sparked controversy among tennis fans, many even saying Serena isn’t focused on her sports career anymore.

But the 25-year-old player denied those allegations and proved on the court she hasn’t said her last word. Unfortunately injuries have overwhelmed her and Serena joins the sidelines along other top players that withdrew from the Pilot Pen event, like Amelie Mauresmo.

The world number seven announced she is pulling out of the New Heaven tournament and the US Open, hoping to fully recover from an abductor strain in time for the Beijing tournament, September 17.

While most players are resting and charging their batteries for the last Grand Slam tournament of the season held in New York City, other have agreed to attend a last official training session in Connecticut, that will last until August 25. The event’s sponsors offer 1.25 million dollars in prize money (600,000 dollars for women).