U.S. superstar Serena Williams has withdrawn from the elite WTA Finals in Singapore, saying she’s still working to recover from the shoulder troubles that hindered her in 2016.

    The WTA announced Williams’ withdrawal from the event that starts Oct. 23 on their Twitter feed, posting a video of Williams herself explaining the decision.

    “Hey everyone in Singapore,” Williams said. “I’m really, really bummed that I won’t be able to come compete this year.

    “It’s been a really tough year for me just dealing so much with these shoulder injuries. My doctor insists that I stay home and heal it every single day.”

    The 22-time Grand Slam champion pulled out of two tournaments in China after being knocked out of the semifinals of the U.S. Open.

    That defeat saw Williams’ 186-week reign atop the world rankings end as Germany’s Angelique Kerber reached the summit and captured the Flushing Meadows title into the bargain.

    Williams claimed just one Grand Slam title in 2016, at Wimbledon. After that, shoulder troubles hampered her in Rio where her hopes of a fifth Olympic gold medal were crushed in the third round.

    Meanwhile, Dominika Cibulkova won her 7th title Sunday and qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time in her career.

    Having a strong 2016 season, Cibulkova defeated Viktorija Golubic 6-3, 7-5 to claim her 7th career WTA title. The win also qualifies Cibulkova for her first career WTA Finals.

    “I can’t describe with words what qualifying for the WTA Finals Singapore means to me. After such a tough year last year, this year has been amazing — so reaching the WTA Finals is a dream come true. I want to enjoy it, play good tennis and end the year the best way I can,” said Cibulkova. The 27-year-old won 3 titles in 2016.

    Kerber, Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwanska, Karolina Pliskova and Garbine Muguruza, Madison Keys have already qualified for the WTA Finals.

    (SD-Agencies)