Former world number one Serena Williams on Thursday was forced to pull out of the French Open, the tournament she won in 2002, after failing to recover from a long-term foot injury, the French tennis federation said.
Williams, a 13-time Grand Slam singles champion, has not played a top-level match since winning last year's Wimbledon title after cutting her right foot on broken glass last July, an injury that required two operations.
"While I am making good progress, unfortunately I won't be able to compete in Roland Garros as I am continuing to rehab my foot and recover from the pulmonary embolism," 29-year-old Williams said in a statement issued through her agent.
"I am grateful for every moment I have and the fact that I have returned to the court. I am hopeful that I will be back competing this summer. Thank you all for your continued prayers."
As well as her foot injury, Williams suffered a pulmonary embolism in February that led to an emergency operation to remove a blood clot from her lung, a health concern she called the scariest moment of her life.
Serena's sister Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam champion with five Wimbledon titles, is also a doubt for the French Open.
She has not played since she pulled out of the Australian Open in January with abdominal pain and a sore right hip.
Meanwhile, the French Tennis Federation also confirmed that Russia's former world number one Dinara Safina, the 2008 and 2009 runner-up, has also pulled out of the French Open with a back injury.
Argentina's David Nalbandian, who has been struggling with a hip injury, will also miss the French Open which starts on May 22.
Meanwhile, Australian duo Bernard Tomic and Casey Dellacqua were both handed French Open wild cards on Thursday under a reciprocal agreement between the French and Australian tennis federations.
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