Paris (AFP)
The American Serena Williams, 9th in the world, forfeited an injury Wednesday before her second round at Roland Garros, leaving the Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova (157th) to pass without playing in the third round.
"It's my Achilles tendon that didn't have time to heal after the US Open," the younger Williams sisters, 39, told a press conference.
After Flushing Meadows, where she was beaten in the semi-finals by the returning Victoria Azarenka, Serena Williams made the choice not to play a tournament prior to Roland-Garros on clay, content to prepare in France with her coach. Patrick Mouratoglou.
"I'm not 100% physically, but I don't know any athlete who feels perfect physically," she explained before the start of the French Open.
“Achilles tendon is a real injury that you don't want to play with, because it's not good if it gets worse. it heals, ”she added.
"I need four to six weeks, at least two weeks to do nothing," said the American who remained on a third round elimination last year.
She had already withdrawn before her round of 16 in 2018, and had missed the 2017 edition due to pregnancy.
Serena Williams, who is desperately trying to win a 24th Grand Slam title to equal Margaret Court's record, was playing her 18th Roland Garros.
Only his sister Venus (40) did better with 23 participations.
But if Serena played two finals in 2015 (title) and 2016 (defeat), Venus has reached the round of 16 only 3 times since her quarter in 2006.
Serena Williams has won Roland Garros three times (2002, 2013 and 2015) since making her debut on the Parisian clay in 1998.
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