Serena Williams withdraws from Miami Open

The Miami Open’s star-packed field will be missing one marquee name.

World No. 1 Serena Williams announced late Tuesday afternoon that she is withdrawing from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., and the Miami Open on Key Biscayne, citing a left knee injury.

“Sadly, I have to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open,” said Williams’ statement. “I have not been able to train due to my knees and am disappointed I cannot be there. I will keep moving forward and continue to be positive. I look forward to being back as soon as I can.”

Williams, 35, won the Australian Open in January, but has not played any matches since. She took over the No. 1 spot in the rankings with that win, but her absence from the upcoming tournaments will move her back to No. 2 behind Angelique Kerber.

“Unfortunately injuries are a part of sports and the player’s health must always be the first priority,” tournament director Adam Barrett said. “As an eight-time champion we know how much Serena loves playing our event and we hope she is able to get back on the court soon.”

Last year, Williams had an earlier-than expected exit from the Miami Open, an event she has won eight times, including three in a row from 2012-15. She lost in the fourth round to 19th-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova. It was just the second time she did not reach the quarterfinals.

The Miami Open runs March 21-April 2 at the Crandon Park Tennis Center. Among the players in the field are Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Venus Williams and Victoria Azarenka.

This story was originally published March 7, 2017 at 7:43 PM with the headline "Serena Williams withdraws from Miami Open."