Sport
Serena Williams withdraws from Italian open with back injury
Serena Williams during a match against Anabel Medina Garrigues. PHOTO/Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Serena Williams withdrew from the Italian Open with a lower back injury shortly before she was scheduled to meet French Open champion Li Na in the semifinals on Saturday.
Williams said the problem also affected her earlier this week.
“It was feeling a little stiff and I don’t think this is the right moment to force it,” she said. “I just want to relax and get ready for the next few months.”
The withdrawal comes eight days before the French Open, but Williams said the move was mainly precautionary and that she’ll be ready for the clay-court major.
“This is a good week to get better and I’m confident that I’ll be 100 percent,” she said.
The decision ended Williams’ winning streak at 17 matches. She had won consecutive titles in Charleston, South Carolina, and Madrid, plus two matches in Fed Cup.
In the Rome final, Li will face either defending champion Maria Sharapova or 11th-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany, who were playing later.
