Injury forces Serena to miss clash with sister

Serena Williams yesterday dropped out of her match against sister Venus at the Italian Open due to the recurrence of a knee injury, just two weeks before the French Open. The 37-year-old also pulled out of the Miami Open in March due to an issue with her left knee and there will now be concerns over her participation in the second grand slam of the year, at Roland Garros. Despite her latest setback, Williams said in a statement that she will now be undergoing treatment and was still planning to compete in Paris. The 23-time grand slam champion beat Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson 6-4, 6-2 in the first round on Monday to set up a clash against her older sister, who will now face American counterpart Sloane Stephens or Johanna Konta of Britain in the third round.