Serena Williams has pulled out of the French Open ahead of her second-round match against Tsvetana Pironkova.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion came into the tournament nursing an Achilles injury she picked up during her semi-final defeat at the US Open earlier this month.
Williams said: “After I warmed up – it was a very short warm-up – I talked to my coach and I was like, ‘What do you think?’ We both thought about it and we really realised that it likely wasn’t the best for me to play today.
read also: Nadal, Serena win Roland Garros openers
“I love playing in Paris, I really wanted to give an effort here. My Achilles didn’t have time to properly heal. I’m struggling to walk so that’s kind of a tell-tale sign that I should try to recover.”