Ankle Injury Prompts Serena Williams to Withdraw from 2008 Kremlin Cup
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Oct 3, 2008 | Print |
Serena Williams’ hopes of ending the tennis season as the number one player in the world took a hit on Friday.
The outgoing No. 1 star announced that she will not participate in next week’s Kremlin Cup because of an ankle injury.
“My left ankle has been bothering me since the US Open and I need to take a break now to get it back to 100% which is why I have to regretfully take this decision and withdraw from the doubles in Stuttgart and Moscow next week,” said Williams in a statement released by Kremlin Cup officials.
“I have played a lot this year and my body needs to recover. It’s obviously my goal to try and get the No. 1 ranking back and it hurts my chances pulling out of Moscow since I reached the final there last year.”
Williams’ biggest competition for the season-ending No. 1 ranking is Jelena Jankovic. The Serbian did not compete in Moscow last year and is not defending any ranking points, unlike Serena who lost the final to Elena Dementieva.
Jankovic will assume the No. 1 ranking on Monday as Serena failed to defend her 2007 points at the Stuttgart Tennis Grand Prix this week in Stuttgart, Germany.
“My only wish now is that with a week to 10 days of rest I can recover and be at my best for the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha,” continued the 2008 US Open champion. “I am confident the Moscow tournament will be a very successful one and hope to see my fans back there again next year.”
Moscow’s Kremlin Cup is the final Tier I tournament on the 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tennis calendar.
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