An injured Achilles has forced Serena Williams to abandon her bid for a 24th Grand Slam title.
Williams said she is “struggling to walk” after hurting herself during a semifinal loss at the U.S. Open three weeks ago, The Associated Press reported.
She announced that she was pulling out of the French Open about an hour before she was scheduled to match up against Tsvetana Pironkova at Court Philippe Chatrier. She was warming up and realized she wouldn’t be able to play.
Williams doesn’t expect to play another tournament this year.
She said she hasn’t healed enough and needs “four to six weeks of sitting, doing nothing,” the AP reported.
The French Open was scheduled for May but was postponed to September due to the coronavirus pandemic, CNN reported.
Williams needs one Grand Slam win to tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 major singles titles, The New York Times reported.