Prior to her second-round match on Wednesday at the French Open, Serena Williams withdrew from the tournament because of an injured Achilles heel.
After ending her bid for a 24th Grand Slam title, the 39-year-old said she thought she needed “four to six weeks of sitting and doing nothing” in order for the injured Achilles to heal.
The withdrawal from the tourney came roughly an hour before Williams was due to face Tsvetana Pironkova.
“I really wanted to give an effort here,” Williams said, according to The New York Times. “But just looking long-term in this tournament, will I be able to get through enough matches? For me, I don’t think I could.”
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Williams, who said she injured herself during a semifinal loss at the U.S. Open three weeks ago, indicated she likely will not play another tournament in 2020. A No. 6 seed at the French Open, Williams was considered a strong contender to win her fourth title at the tournament and add to the trophies she claimed in Paris in 2002, 2013 and 2015.
Elsewhere at the tournament, U.S. Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka, a No. 10 seed, lost in the second round to 161st-ranked Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
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