*A lingering injury forced Venus Williams to withdraw from a Grand Slam singles match for the first time in her career.
The tennis star lasted just seven points in her third-round match Friday at the Australian Open.
After losing the first game to Andrea Petkovic of Germany and trailing in the second, Williams stretched to her right to return a serve, hit the ball and then cried out in pain, clutching toward her stomach on her right side. It was soon clear that she couldn’t continue.
“Obviously I just couldn’t play,” Williams said. “I couldn’t move, it was too painful.”
