Four-time champion Serena Williams has withdran from the upcoming Italian Open citing the achilles issue that bothered her in a loss to Victoria Azarenka in the US Open semi-finals, organisers have announced.
Williams took a medical timeoutfor treatment on her achilles during her three-set loss on Thursday. The Italian Open, which was rescheduled from May due to the coronavirus pandemic, is due to begin Monday.
In the mens tournament, US Open finalists Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev withdrew, as did Daniil Medvedev, who lost to Thiem in the semi-finals in New York.
Nine-time champion Rafael Nadal headlines the field at the Foro Italico, marking his return to tennis after a seven-month layoff. The Spaniard has been practicing in Rome for several days. Top-ranked Novak Djokovic, who was disqualified from the US Open, has also entered the clay-court tournament in Rome, for the warmup event to the French Open, which starts on 27 September.
