Serena Williams has withdrawn from next week’s Madrid Open after deciding she needs more preparation time to compete on clay.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion suffered early exits at Indian Wells and Miami in her only two competitive outings this year, following a 14-month lay-off to give birth to daughter Alexis Olympia.
Williams has not been seen on the WTA Tour since losing to Naomi Osaka in the first round in Miami.
“We regret the absence of Serena and we wish her a speedy recovery,” organiser Manolo Santana said on the tournament’s official website:
“She is one of the great champions of our sport, she has always offered a show to the tournament and we hope to see her again at the Caja Magica in the future.”
Williams’ focus will now switch to featuring at the Italian Open in Rome, which gets underway on May 14.
That tournament concludes one week before the French Open starts on May 27, in what is set to be Williams’ first Grand Slam appearance since she won the Australian Open in 2017.
