Serena Williams abruptly withdrew from the French Open, citing an Achilles heel injury that made it difficult to walk.
Williams withdrew from the French Open three weeks after losing her best chance for a 24th Grand Slam championship at the U.S. Open in New York.
On Wednesday, Williams, 38, announced she was withdrawing from the French Open and is “struggling to walk” due to the severity of the injury.
“I really wanted to give an effort here. It’s my Achilles that didn’t have enough time to properly heal after the (US) Open,” Williams said at a press conference. “I was able to get it somewhat better, but just looking long term in this tournament — will I be able to get through enough matches? For me, I don’t think I could. Struggling to walk, so that’s kind of a telltale sign I should try to recover.”
