Serena Williams withdraws from two events ( 2003-10-18 09:47) (Agencies)
Serena Williams will miss the rest of the season because of the knee injury
that has sidelined her since Wimbledon.
Williams, ranked third in the world, announced Friday
that she has withdrawn from the WTA tournament beginning Oct. 27 in Philadelphia
and the season-ending Tour Championship in Los Angeles in November.
This year's Australian Open and Wimbledon champion has not played since
having surgery Aug. 1 to repair a partial tear in the quadriceps tendon of her
left knee.
"I really miss playing tennis and I can't wait to come back and compete,"
Williams said. "However, I feel that I need more time to prepare and get myself
in the best shape possible."
Williams, who withdrew from this year's U.S. Open, has won five of the
previous six grand slam titles, beating sister Venus each time.
Venus has also been out since Wimbledon with an abdominal injury, though she
is expected to play at Philadelphia and Los Angeles, Tour spokesman Darrell Fry
said.
Serena, 38-3 this year, lost her No. 1 ranking to Kim Clijsters because of
her injury.
