Serena Williams Pulls Out of U.S. Open: Five Reasons We'll Miss Her

With Friday's news that No. 1-ranked women's tennis player Serena Williams will miss the upcoming U.S. Open, we here at Bleacher Report were despondent.

The three-time Open champ is still recovering following surgery to repair a cut on her foot that she suffered at a restaurant in Munich last month shortly after winning her fourth Wimbledon singles title.

“It is with much frustration and deep sadness that I am having to pull out of the U.S. Open,” Williams said through her publicist.

“My doctors have advised against my playing so that my foot can heal.”

Missing the tournament, she said, is “one of the most devastating moments of my career.”

Kind of an odd accident, but hey, she could kick my a**, so I'm not going to criticize her.

So will we miss her at Flushing Meadows later this month? You bet.

Here are five reasons why.

She's at the Top of Her Game

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LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 03: Serena Williams of USA celebrates a point during the Ladies Singles Final Match against Vera Zvonareva of Russia on Day Twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 3

The 28-year-old is on fire, having won both Wimbledon and the Australian Open this year, bringing her career Grand Slam total to 13.

If she were healthy, she would have been the clear favorite to take the title at Flushing Meadows.

She'd Be One of the Fan Favorites

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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 21: Serena Williams of the United States of America signs autographs for fans in her first round doubles match with Venus Williams of the United States of America against Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia and Nadia Petrova of R

Yeah, sure, Serena's inability to return in time from her injury opens the field up for other competitors.

But it sucks for us fans who like to watch her outmuscle and outperform her opponents.

It's especially sucky for the fans of New York (Queens, more specifically) who'd come to Arthur Ashe Stadium to cheer her on.

She'll Ruin the Possibility of an All-American, Williams Sisters Final

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LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 26: Serena Williams of USA and Venus Williams of USA in action during their doubles match against Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia on Day Six of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the A

Serena and sister Venus have teamed up to claim 12 Grand Slam doubles titles.

But they've also met each other 12 times in singles in Grand Slam events.

How sweet would it have been to see sister-on-sister in the final of the U.S. Open?

She's Bootylicious

The photo and this remarkably popular Bleacher Report slideshow pretty much speak for themselves.

She Might Berate Another Line Judge

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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 12: Serena Williams (L) argues with a line judge during her Women's Singles Semifinal match against Kim Clijsters of Belgium on day thirteen of the 2009 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 12, 2

And perhaps saddest of all, she won't be around this year to scream holy hell at a helpless line judge.

Last year, she lost in the semis at the U.S. Open after a mind-boggling tirade at a line judge over a foot-fault call.

The outburst ended up drawing a record fine...but it was incredibly compelling drama for the normally staid tennis crowd.

We'll Miss You, Serena!

Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 14: Serena Williams of the USA waves to the crowd after winning her semi final match against Aravane Rezai of France during day five of the 2010 Medibank International at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre on January 14, 2010 i

Hope the cuts heal, Serena. Take care and we'll hope to see you next year.