Serena Williams withdraws from Indian Wells with knee injury
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Serena Williams withdrew from the BNP Paribas Open that begins Wednesday because of a left knee injury, leaving the desert tournament without the world’s top-ranked women’s player.
The withdrawal also cost Williams a chance to retain her top ranking.
Angelique Kerber, a two-time semifinalist and now the highest-seeded woman in the event, will supplant Williams at No. 1 after Indian Wells. Williams needed to reach the semifinals to retain the top spot.
Williams said Tuesday in a statement released through the tournament that she also won’t play the Miami Open, which begins March 21 and isn’t far from her Florida base.