Serena Williams has withdrawn from the upcoming Italian Open citing the achilles problem that troubled her during her defeat by Victoria Azarenka in the US Open semi-finals, organisers have announced.
Williams, a four-times champion in Rome, took a medical timeout for treatment on her achilles during her three-set loss in New York on Thursday. The Italian Open, which was rescheduled from May due to the coronavirus pandemic, is due to begin on Monday.
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In the men’s tournament, the US Open finalists Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev withdrew, as did Daniil Medvedev, who lost to Thiem in the semi-finals in New York.
Rafael Nadal headlines the field at the Foro Italico, the nine-times champion marking his return to tennis after a seven-month layoff. The Spaniard has been practising in Rome for several days. Novak Djokovic, the world No 1, who was disqualified at the US Open, has also entered the clay-court tournament, the warm-up event to the French Open, which starts on 27 September.