Williams facing Wimbledon KO
SERENA WILLIAMS was left “beyond disappointed” after pulling out of her grudge match with Maria Sharapova yesterday.
She cried off with a chest muscle injury – leaving her a major doubt to play at Wimbledon next month.
The last-16 showdown with the Russian Ice Queen, who had lost their last 18 matches, had been hyped up because of the bad blood between them following
Sharapova’s critical remarks from IAIN STEWART
aimed at the American in her in Paris
autobiograhy.
But, with Williams chasing the problem when she took a fourth French Open title part in her women’s doubles after taking nearly a year out match with sister Venus on to have her baby daughter Sunday night, losing 6-4 6-7 0-6 Olympia, she withdrew less to Andreja Klepac and Maria than an hour before the match Jose Martinez Sanchez. was due to begin yesterday – She added: “I’m going to
leaving the Paris crowd get an MRI today and stay
stunned. in France to see as many specialists as I can. I won’t know about Wimbledon until I get those results.
“I really felt like I needed to play on Sunday, because I thought it was a perfect opportunity for me to see how I would go.
“It’s very difficult, because I love playing Maria. It’s a match I always get up for. Her game matches so well against mine.”
Sharapova, who had fancied herself to win, said: “I am disappointed Serena had to withdraw, I was looking forward to the match. I wish her a speedy recovery.”
Spain’s Rafael Nadal, who is bidding for his 11th Roland Garros title, eased through to the men’s quarter-finals with a 6-3 6-2 7-6 win over German Maximilian Marterer.
The 36-year-old said she had damaged a pectoral muscle in her previous match and could not even serve.
Williams said she will have an MRI scan today before making a final decision on whether she will be at the All England Club next month.
“I’m beyond disappointed,” she said.
“It’s really difficult. I have been having some issues with my pectoral muscle, which has unfortunately been getting worse to the point where I can’t actually serve.
“The first time I felt it was against Julia Goerges in my last match. It was really painful and I’m clueless as to what to do about it.”
Williams clearly aggravated