Serena won’t play French Open

Associated Press

PARIS

Serena Williams withdrew from French Open on Thursday, a decision that was expected because the 13-time Grand Slam singles champion has been off the tour for more than 10 months.

Williams, who won the 2002 French Open, hasn’t competed since early July, sidelined by two foot operations and blood clots in her lung. She returned to practice last month and said Thursday she aims to be back on tour this summer.

“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,” Williams said in a statement.

Her older sister Venus — a seven-time major singles champion — is also in doubt for the clay-court French Open, which starts May 22. Tournament organizers said Thursday they have not heard from Venus, who hasn’t played since January because of a hip injury.

The French Open will be the third consecutive Grand Slam tournament missed by Serena.

ITALIAN OPEN

Rome

Roger Federer’s French Open preparation hit a roadblock Thursday with a 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4) loss to Richard Gasquet in the third round of the Italian Open.

Federer had won his last eight meetings against Gasquet, but his uncharacteristic errors from the baseline allowed the 16th-seeded Frenchman to take control.

Novak Djokovic extended his winning streak to 36 matches with a 6-4, 6-1 win over 14th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka.

Djokovic’s quarterfinal opponent will be fifth-seeded Robin Soderling, who held on to beat ninth-seeded Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.