Washington:
World number one Serena Williams has pulled out of the forthcoming BNP Paribas Open semifinal tie with a right knee injury.
Williams was competing in Indian Wells for the first time in 14 years after suffering a harrowing experience during her title win over Kim Clijsters in 2001 at Indian Wells, where the former was racially abused by spectators before the finals.
Addressing the crowd after Jelena Jankovic’s 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over Sabine Lisicki, Williams said that she really injured her knees a couple of ago during practice, adding that she was struggling just to even walk then, ABC News reported.
Williams later took to Instagram, stating that she began a journey to play Indian Wells four months ago, adding that she would not have been able to do this without her fans, insisting that though it ended early due to injury this year, she couldn’t wait to try again next year.
The 19-time Grand Slam champion was to play third-seeded Simona Halep in the second semifinal.
