Berlin, May 05: World no. 3 Venus Williams has officially withdrawn from the German Open.
Williams, who was forced to quit during the third set of the J&S Cup final yesterday with an abdominal strain, was seeded second at the WTA clay-court event.

"The decision not to come to Berlin was very difficult for me, because I have always loved to play in Germany and the fans know and appreciate tennis very much," Williams said. "I will take it easy in the next few weeks and hope to be fit again soon."

Williams, who has won four major titles, was hurt in the first set yesterday but didn't realise right away how badly.
"I thought it was a stomach ache," she said. "When I have an injury in the middle of a match I just don't believe it's happening to me. When I come back to reality I know I have to re-evaluate the situation and try and get some help."



Amelie Mauresmo of France, who lost all five previous matches against Williams, won the J&S Cup yesterday in Warsaw, Poland. She was leading the clay-court tournament final 6-7 (6/8) 6-0 3-0 when play was stopped.


Bureau Report