The 31st all-Williams clash will not happen, at least not at the 2019 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, as Serena has pulled out of the tournament because of an old left knee injury, the same ailment that forced her to withdraw from her previous tournament, the Miami Open.
A day after recording a solid 6-4 6-2 victory over Swedish qualifier Rebecca Peterson in the first round and booking another blockbuster meeting with her sister Venus Williams, on top of extending her impressive record in Rome to 43-8, Serena has been forced to withdraw from this year’s edition of the Premier 5 event because of pain in her left knee. Despite not having played a full tournament since January’s Australian Open, Serena is positive about her appearance at Roland Garros, which stars in less than two weeks.
The four-time Rome champion told the press:
I’ll be concentrating on rehab and look forward to seeing you all at the French Open and next year in Rome.
Venus is now handed a walkover into the third round.
Serena’s friend Caroline Wozniacki also pulled out of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Tuesday, citing a leg injury after losing the first set to Danielle Collins in the tiebreak.
