Serena Williams' withdrawal comes four days after the worst defeat of her career Serena Williams has pulled out of next week's Rogers Cup hard-court tournament in Montreal due to personal reasons. Tournament organisers announced the 23-time Grand Slam champion's withdrawal from the event on Saturday. "Of course, we are disappointed that Serena will not be joining us. Fans were very much looking forward to seeing her in action," tournament director Eugene Lapierre said. "But beyond the disappointment, the tournament, as a whole, remains a high-level competition. The entire top 10 is here, along with 22 of the top 25. There are exciting matches in store from the outset." The tournament opens on Monday with world No 1 Simona Halep as the top seed and Caroline Wozniacki, who pulled out of the Citi Open earlier this week with a leg injury, number two. Williams is coming off the most emphatic defeat of her career, a 6-1, 6-0 loss to Britain's Johanna Konta in San Jose on Tuesday. Serena is a six-time US Open singles champion The 36-year-old was the runner-up at Wimbledon last month. That was her fourth tournament since returning to the tour after having a baby in September and dealing with a health scare related to blood clots. The year's last major tournament, the US Open, starts at Flushing Meadow on August 27 Williams will be replaced in the draw for the Rogers Cup by Tatjana Maria, who faces Alize Cornet in the first round.<doc-sep>Tony Avelar/Associated Press Serena Williams will not participate in this year's Rogers Cup, set to start on Monday, as she withdrew for personal reasons. Sportsnet's Caroline Cameron reported the news: The 36-year-old had been handed a wild card for the tournament, which she has won three times in her long career. Her last title came in 2013, when she beat Sorana Cirstea. Williams returned to tennis earlier this year following the birth of her daughter and has struggled with consistency. She made the final at Wimbledon, losing to Angelique Kerber, but her preparations for the U.S. Open have not gone smoothly. At the 2018 Silicon Valley Classic earlier this week, Williams didn't look herself and lost to Johanna Konta: Her withdrawal from the Rogers Cup means she's scheduled to appear in just a single tournament before traveling to Flushing Meadows, per tennis writer Ash Marshall: But that may not be such a bad thing for Williams, who picked a lighter schedule this year. Counter to conventional wisdom, she didn't play a host of lawn tournaments to prepare for the switch from clay to grass, but it didn't slow her down at Wimbledon, where she played some of her best tennis this year. Video Play Button Videos you might like A similar approach to the hard courts of the U.S. Open could well work. Williams has won her home Grand Slam six times, and another win at Flushing Meadows will undoubtedly be one of her main goals for this year.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook American tennis star Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Rogers Cup in Montreal, citing personal reasons. Tennis Canada made the announcement Saturday morning, saying that Williams will take a short hiatus from the sport. Williams was No. 1 on the WTA world rankings after beating her sister Venus to win the 2017 Australian Open. Shortly after the win, she announced that she was pregnant and didn’t play for the rest of the tennis season. WATCH: New mom Serena Williams wins first round of French Open 1:09 New mom Serena Williams wins first round of French Open New mom Serena Williams wins first round of French Open – May 29, 2018 Since returning to action at this year’s French Open, Williams has risen to 26th in the WTA rankings. Story continues below advertisement READ MORE: Montreal’s Rogers Cup is free for everyone this weekend In a written statement tournament director Eugène Lapierre admitted the tennis star’s withdrawal was a letdown. “Of course, we are disappointed that Serena will not be joining us,” he said. “Fans were very much looking forward to seeing her in action.” Despite Williams’s withdrawal, Lapierre reassured fans they would be in for some high-quality tennis. “Beyond the disappointment, the tournament, as a whole, remains a high-level competition,” he said. “The entire Top 10 is here, along with 22 of the Top 25. There are exciting matches in store from the outset.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The entire Top 10 is here, along with 22 of the Top 25. There are exciting matches in store from the outset." Williams last appearance in Montreal was in 2014. WATCH BELOW: Serena Williams on motherhood 1:13 Serena Williams On Motherhood Serena Williams On Motherhood – Jun 21, 2018 Germany’s Tatjana Maria will take the American’s spot in the main draw, bypassing the qualifying event. She will be up against France’s Alizé Cornet. Story continues below advertisement — with files from the Canadian Press.<doc-sep>Serena Williams has pulled out of next week’s Rogers Cup hard-court tournament, citing personal reasons. The tournament announced Williams’ withdrawal on Saturday. The 23-time Grand Slam champion is coming off the most lopsided defeat of her career, a 6-1, 6-0 loss to Johanna Konta in San Jose on Tuesday. The 36-year-old Williams was the runner-up at Wimbledon last month. That was just her fourth tournament since returning to the tour after having a baby in September and dealing with a health scare related to blood clots. Advertisement The year’s last major tournament, the U.S. Open, starts on Aug. 27. Williams will be replaced in the draw at Montreal by Tatjana Maria, who faces Alize Cornet in the first round.<doc-sep>
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 14, 2018 Serena Williams of the U.S. waves after losing the women's singles final against Germany's Angelique Kerber REUTERS/Andrew Boyers (This version of the August 4 story corrects para 6 to say last match was at Silicon Valley Classic) (Reuters) - Twenty-three times grand slam winner Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Rogers Cup in Montreal for “personal reasons”, Tennis Canada said on Saturday. Tennis Canada said Williams’s decision to pull out was made for personal reasons but did not elaborate. “Of course, we are disappointed that Serena will not be joining us. Fans were very much looking forward to seeing her in action,” tournament director Eugene Lapierre said in a statement. “But beyond the disappointment, the tournament, as a whole, remains a high-level competition. “The entire top 10 is here, along with 22 of the top 25. There are exciting matches in store from the outset.” The tournament opens on Monday with world number one Simona Halep as the top seed and Caroline Wozniacki, who pulled out of the Citi Open earlier this week with a leg injury, number two. Williams, whose last match was a 6-0 6-1 first round loss to Johanna Konta at the Silicon Valley Classic last month, will have her place in the draw taken by Germany’s Tatjana Maria. The 36-year-old American has been making a slow but steady return to competitive tennis since returning in March following the birth of her first child Alexis Olympia.