Serena Williams Wednesday pulled out from Roland Garros on Wednesday as her pursuit for a 24th Grand Slam title suffered another blow.
Williams had arrived at the tournament carrying an Achilles tendon injury.
The 39-year-old three-time champion in Paris had been due to face Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova in the second round later Wednesday.
“The Achilles didn’t have enough time to heal after the US Open,” said Williams.
“I was struggling to walk and that is a tell-tale sign that I should try to recover.”
The injury likely means she will miss the rest of 2020 leaving the Australian Open in 2021 as her next chance to equal Margaret Court’s all-time majors record.
“I need four to six weeks of sitting and doing nothing,” she said.
“It’s more than likely that I won’t play another tournament this year.”
(AFP)
