Serena Williams Pulls Out of Dubai Half Hour After Her Scheduled Match

Written by: Staff on 20th February 2013

Serena Williams Pulls Out of Dubai Half Hour After Her Scheduled Match

epa03588876 Serena Williams of the USA reacts after losing to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in their final match of the WTA Qatar Ladies Open tennis tournament at the International Khalifa Tennis Complex in Doha, Qatar, 17 February 2013. EPA/STRINGER |

Serena Williams put the boot into the Dubai Open box-office with an ultra-late injury withdrawal announced less than half an hour after the new world number one was to have taken the court.

Williams, who took over the top spot again on the WTA only last week in Doha, said she had been suffering with the so-far undisclosed problem since the Australian Open. She added that she did not mention it all last week during Doha, where she reached the final but lost to Azarenka, who withdrew a day earlier with a bone bruise on a heel.

It was the third Doha pullout for Williams, who has never made a secret of the fact that she plays to her own rhythm and chooses her tournaments exactly as she wishes. “I feel horrible,” said the 31-year-old, whose withdrawal handed Marion Bartoli a walkover into the quarter-finals. “I thought it would get better but it didn’t.”

So late was the pullout that there were no lucky losers from qualifying around the grounds to take her place in the main draw. Williams is not now due on court for another month when she is due to play in Miami.

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: American tennis news, Dubai Open, Serena Williams, Serena Williams pulls out, Sports, tennis injury, Tennis News, Wta