Dinara Safina ends 2011 season due to back injury

Former World No.1 Dinara Safina's attempts to return to the elite in women's tennis took a serious setback when a persistent injury forced her to withdraw from the tournaments in the rest of the season.

Three time Grand Slam finalist Dinara Safina announced today that she won't be able to compete for the rest of the season due to a nagging back pain.

"I’m sorry to report that my back is still acting up and I will not be able to play until at least the end of the year. Thanks for your support and I will update you on my status when I have more information," Safina quoted through her official website. Safina injured her back after a visibly hopeful comeback to tour earlier this year.

Clearly disappointed with the way things turned out in the past couple of years, Safina commented: "I don’t know how long my time out is going to last because I don’t want to torture myself and my body anymore."

Safina rose to No.1 in WTA ranikings in April 2009 and reigned supreme with two Tier-I titles in Rome and Madrid, before finally handing the top spot to Serena Williams at the end of the year.