Injury forces Williams out
A shattered Serena Williams is in a desperate fight to be fit for Wimbledon after pulling out of the French Open with a pectoral muscle injury.
The 23-times grand slam champion withdrew just minutes before her scheduled blockbuster fourth-round clash with careerlong rival Maria Sharapova.
‘‘It’s been getting worse to the point where right now I can’t actually serve,’’ Williams told a packed press conference in Paris. ‘‘It’s kind of hard to play when I can’t physically serve.’’
Making her grand slam comeback following the birth last September of her first child, the 36-year-old said she first felt the injury in her third-round win over Julia Goerges.
Before that, Williams had never experienced any such problem during her 20-year professional career.
‘‘I’m beyond disappointed. You know, I gave up so much, from time with my daughter, to time with my family. I put everything on the court. All for this moment.’’
Sharapova’s walkover win advances the dual French Open winner to a quarterfinal against
2016 champion Garbine Muguruza, who advanced when unseeded Ukraine Lesia Tsurenko retired, also injured, while trailing the Spaniard 2-0 yesterday.
Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber are set for a sequel to their pulsating Australian Open semifinal.
Meanwhile, 10-times champion Rafael Nadal fired a chilling warning to pretenders to his throne after surging into a record-equalling
12th French Open quarterfinal. The world No 1 celebrated his
32nd birthday with a 6-3 6-2 7-6 (7-4) fourth-round victory over littleknown but gallant German Maximilian Marterer.
The top seed next plays Diego Schwartzman after Argentina’s
11th seed fought back from two sets and 5-3 down to deny South African sixth seed Kevin Anderson 1-6 2-6
7-5 7-6 (7-0) 6-2.
Nadal or Schwartzman will play either Marin Cilic, Fabio Fognini or Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinals.
The resurgent Del Potro qualified for his first Roland Garros quarterfinal in six years with a 6-4
6-4 6-4 defeat of big-serving American ninth seed John Isner.