Serena Williams announced on Thursday that she is prematurely ending her season, stressing that her body needs time to heal after enduring several nagging injuries.

The world's top ranked player, who came just two wins short of registering a calendar-year Grand Slam, added she is taking "proactive steps" to address her long-term health.

ESPN reports the 34-year-old Williams will now sit out the WTA Finals and the China Open.

"It's no secret I've played injured most of the year," she said. "Whether it was my elbow, my knee, or, in the final moments after a certain match in Flushing, my heart."

Williams added, "This is a very difficult decision, but one ultimately made because of the love of the game."

Despite all the ailments, Williams finished the year winning the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon. She came just short of becoming the first player in nearly four decades to win all four majors in the same year, after being bounced by Roberta Vinci in the semifinals of the US Open.

Earlier this week, Williams' coach Patrick Mouratoglou publicly questioned her desire to finish the season after her loss to Vinci, which some called the biggest upset in women's tennis history.

"I plan to return to practicing and participating in exhibition matches later this year," said Williams, who lost only three singles matches in total in 2015. "And when I do, l will focus and focus and focus so I can continue my journey in this beautiful game."

As it is, Williams now stands just one short of tying Steffi Graf's career total of 22 Grand Slam championships and just three behind Margaret Court's all-time record of 24. With her Open result, Williams already has clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking.

"I don't doubt she will have the motivation to win more Grand Slams and reach records," Mouratoglou said. "She was two matches away from something really big, so it was very painful."