Serena Williams has withdrawn from the French Open ahead of her second-round tie against Tsvetana Pironkova with an Achilles injury. (More Tennis News)
An Achilles injury has ended Serena William's French Open early and curtailed her latest bid to level Margaret Court's tally of 24 slams
Serena Williams has withdrawn from the French Open ahead of her second-round tie against Tsvetana Pironkova with an Achilles injury. (More Tennis News)
The American great began her latest attempt to level Margaret Court's overall record of 24 grand slams by beating Kristie Ahn in straight sets on Monday.
However, the 39-year-old announced shortly before Wednesday's contest with Pironkova that she will play no further part at Roland Garros.
Williams stated that a lack of recovery time from the US Open, where she was beaten in the semi-finals by Victoria Azarenka a little over a fortnight ago, has influenced her decision.
"I love playing in Paris. I actually adore the clay. It's so, sort of, I don't know, fun for me," Williams said.
"I really want to give an effort here. It's my Achilles that didn't have enough time to properly heal after the [US] Open.
"I was able to get it somewhat better but [I was] just looking long-term at this tournament and will I be able to get through enough matches?
"So, for me, I don't think I could and I'm struggling to walk, so that's kind of a tell-tale sign I should try to recover."