Soon-not-to-be world No.1 Serena Williams withdrew from the Kremlin Cup, which starts on Monday in Moscow, due to an ankle injury.
“My left ankle has been bothering me since the US Open and I need to take a break now to get it back to 100 percent,” said the nine-time Grand Slam champion, who was a finalist last year in Moscow.
“I have played a lot this year and my body needs to recover. My goal is to try and get the No. 1 ranking back.”
Besides Williams, world No.6 Maria Sharapova also won’t take part in the Kremlin Cup, as she will be missing the rest of the season because of her shoulder injury. However, the women’s field is the strongest in the 19-year history of the $2.3 million with eight of the world’s top 10 players participating.