Serena Williams Withdraws From Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
World number one Serena Williams has been forced to withdraw from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships due to a lower back injury.
The US Open, Wimbledon and Olympic Gold medalist has succumbed to the injury and will be forced to miss a tournament she had targeted as one of her goals for the year.
“We were looking forward to seeing Serena play, and are disappointed that this injury has ruled her out” said tournament director Salah Tahlak. “We wish her a speedy recovery and look forward to hopefully seeing her back in Dubai next year.”
Despite her absence, the WTA Premier Series event still features a stellar field. “We are disappointed that Serena Williams will not be playing in Dubai this year,” said Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman of Tournament owners and organisers Dubai Duty Free.
“However, we are looking forward to watching defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska and Grand Slam winners Petra Kvitova, Ana Ivanovic and Samantha Stosur in action” he added.
The WTA Tour event continues until February 23, and play then continues on February 25th with the ATP tournament featuring six of the world’s top 10, including world number one Novak Djokovic, five-time winner and defending championRoger Federer, as well as top 10 rivals Tomas Berdych, Juan Martin Del Potro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Janko Tipsarevic.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free and held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Tickets for the event are on sale from the Box Office at the Dubai Tennis Stadium, Garhoud which is open from 9am to 9pm daily. Grandstand ticket prices range from 50dhs for opening rounds to 450dhs for finals, with season tickets also available.
For further information about tickets, prices and the tournament phone the call centre on +971 4 4172415.
Emirate: Dubai
Date: Feb 20, 2013
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