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| | Friday, May 26 Williams pulls out hours before draw | |||||
| ESPN.com news services PARIS -- A nagging left knee injury forced Serena Williams to withdraw from the French Open just hours before Friday's draw. Williams has not played since April 11, when she retired during her second-round match at the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Fla. She resumed practice last week in hopes of playing at Roland Garros but abandoned those plans Friday. "I really thought I was going to be able to play. I never would have come all the way to Europe if I hadn't believed I'd be able to go on the court, and I am so disappointed," Williams said. "I love Paris. I have been practicing the language, the French Open is one of my favorite Grand Slams and I was looking forward to playing at Roland Garros." Williams, who was seeded eighth for the upcoming grand slam, is 15-5 this season and has one tournament win -- the Faber Grand Prix. She plans to return to Florida on Friday and hopes to play at Wimbledon next month. "The trainers had done such a good job, and the treatments were having such a good effect, I thought the knee would be ready," said Williams, currently eighth in the points standings. "But the more I practiced, it just started to get worse again. This problem just keeps coming back, so my doctors told me not to play, just rest the knee, so I don't have to worry about a long-term injury." Williams' withdrawal means that Austria's Barbara Schett will be seeded for the tournament, which starts Monday. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. | ALSO SEE Quarterfinal? No, Sampras draws Philippoussis in French first round Agassi, Hingis get top seeds for French Open  | |||||
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