Serena Williams withdraws from French Open clash with Maria Sharapova

• Williams ‘beyond disappointed’ after suffering pectoral injury
• Decision announced shortly before players were due on court

When Serena Williams withdrew on Monday from the French Open, less than an hour before her highly anticipated fourth-round match against Maria Sharapova, she admitted it was because of a pectoral injury that had struck her for the first time two days earlier.

The sense of deflation and surprise around Roland Garros was palpable, from the locker room to the media desks to the paid seats on Court Philippe-Chatrier, where anticipation of a 22nd showdown between the two fiercest rivals in tennis had risen like the mercury on another sultry afternoon.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2Hma1S0