Injured Serena forced to retire in Madrid
Serena Williams expecting to be fit for French Open
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Monday, 11, May 2009 09:09
Australian Open champion Serena Williams pulled out of her first round match against Francesca Schiavone at the Madrid Open through injury.
The American had dropped the first set 6-4 and decided to withdraw due to a knee injury. Williams admitted it was more of a precaution in light of the upcoming French Open and insisted she expects to be fit for Roland Garros.
"No, it's not going to stop me from playing in Paris," said Williams, who was seeded number two for the event behind Dinara Safina.
"I didn't want to risk my chances to play Roland Garros. I wanted to do well (here), but at the end of the day I'm trying to play Paris and still trying to play singles and doubles there so I didn't really want to take that chance and be out of Roland Garros."
Meanwhile, Williams also hit out the WTA for allegedly forcing the players into taking part in events because they face possible bans if they pull out.
"I don't really have a choice whether to play," said Williams. "I'm not into throwing away thousands and thousands of dollars."