Serena Williams pulls out of the Dubai Duty Free Championships 2013 – Tennis News
Sadly, the oldest world number one athlete, Serena Williams, will not take part in the latest edition of the Dubai Duty Free Championships which is underway at Dubai, UAE. She was the second seed entrant in the tournament but the
ankle injury coupled with a sore back forced her to withdraw from the event just 45 minutes before her scheduled second round clash against the 11th ranked Frenchwoman, Marion Bartoli.
Tournament Director Salah Tahlak stated to the media reporters in a press conference on Thursday, “We were looking forward to seeing Serena play, and are disappointed that this injury has ruled her out. We wish her a speedy recovery
and look forward to hopefully seeing her back in Dubai next year.”
Williams confessed, “I've just had some back problems the past couple weeks. It didn't get better. I thought it would get better as the week went on, but it didn't. I don't want to keep pushing it and make it worse.”
The 31-year-old American was on a roll in the previous season; winning seven champiponship titles, including two Grand Slams at the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open. She started the new season with a good run of form; played
well in the Australian Open and reached the final at the Qatar Ladies Open at Doha which was subsequently won by the likes of the defending champion, Victoria Azarenka, who pulled out of the event at Dubai before Williams due to a right foot injury.
So, the top-2 seeds are already out of action which will definitely hurt the cause of the officials but the stern contest is still promised considering the amount of talent that is enriched in the left-over squad. Some mouth-watering
events are lined up at the courts of Dubai; Samantha Stosur of Australia will go head-to-head against the Italian veteran, Roberta Vinci, who is in sublime run of form lately. The Czech superstar and former Wimbledon Champion, Petra Kvitova, will take on the
likes of the third seed Pole superstar, Agnieszka Radwanska. So, the contest is heating up but the absence of two class acts will definitely be felt.
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