Serena Williams isn’t ranked among the top 105 players to be eligible for the U.S. Open, but she will still be able to play in the tournament that starts Aug. 29 in New York.

Williams will be able to take advantage of her special injury-protected No.1 ranking to break into the field, according to the Associated Press. Williams, who missed nearly a year of tennis action due to injury and serious illness, is currently ranked 172nd.

"I have nothing to lose," Williams said Wednesday at a news conference in New York City. "I think that's when people are the most dangerous."

The special-injury protection allows her to the use the special ranking to enter up to eight tournaments, including one Grand Slam.

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(Photo: AP Photo/Daniel P. Derella)