Venus Williams’ French Open preparations have been dealt a blow after she withdrew from the Madrid Open due to a right hamstring injury.
The 35–year-old, who reached the final in Madrid in 2010, confirmed her withdrawal on Monday. It is unclear as to how severe the injury is and if it will affect her participation in the Rome Open, which will start straight after the Madrid open.
Unfortunately, @Venuseswilliams has withdrawn from Madrid due to a right hamstring injury . Get well soon Venus! pic.twitter.com/Vc3UIJ9ujg
— Mutua Madrid Open (@MutuaMadridOpen) 25 April 2016
The injury comes at the a time where Williams has been struggling on the tour. The world No.14 hasn’t won back-to-back matches at a tournament since winning the Taiwan Open in February. The seven-time Grand Slam champion suffered first match losses in Indian Wells and Miami. Then in her first clay court event of the season, the Charleston Open, the American suffered a shock third round loss to Yulia Putintseva.
The withdrawal of Williams has benefited two other players. Christine McHale will receive direct entry into the draw and Ana Ivanovic will now be seeded in the tournament.
Marin Cilic out
Another former Grand Slam champion forced to skip Madrid is Marin Cilic. The 2014 US Open champion hasn’t played a match on the tour since the Miami Masters due to a knee injury. According to Croatian media outlets, the world No.12 is still unable to exercise to full intensity and has limited movement on the court.
At the start of the month Cilic said he hoped to play in Madrid after withdrawing from Monte-Carlo. The 27-year-old is also a doubt for the Rome Masters due to his lack of preparation. If he misses Rome, he will only play one clay court tournament prior to the French Open. Cilic has committed himself to the Geneva Open, which begins a week before the second Grand Slam of the year.
