Injury forces Serena Williams to withdraw from French Open
Three-time French Open champion Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Grand Slam event at Roland Garros because of an Achilles injury. The 39-year-old had been scheduled to play her second-round match against Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova on Wednesday. The veteran star has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles and was aiming to equal Margaret Court's all-time record of 24. Here's more.
Serena said she will need four to six weeks to recover. "I think I need four to six weeks of sitting and doing nothing," Serena told a news conference. Serena also said has been struggling to walk. "I have been struggling to walk so that's a telltale sign that I should try to recover," she claimed.
Serena picked up the Achilles problem during her US Open semi-final defeat by Victoria Azarenka earlier this month. On Monday, she beat Kristie Ahn 7-6 (7-2) 6-0 in the first round at Roland Garros, but said she was struggling physically. "In the second set I felt I needed to walk with a limp. I had to focus on walking straight so I wasn't limping."
"Achilles is an injury you don't want to play with - I think it was one of the worst, don't want to get to that point, I want it to get better," the star player added.
A record-equaling 24th Grand Slam singles title has looked a long shot for Serena in Paris. She didn't get the desired time to recover from the Achilles problem she developed in New York. Such a short turnaround between major tournaments hampered her progress. Serena, who rues her bad luck, said: "I'm not sure I will play another tournament this year."
