Tennis, Sports Injury | featured news

Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Dubai Championships because of a lower back injury. Williams took over the No. 1 ranking last week in Qatar, the sixth time in her career she has been the top-ranked player in the world. She lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open last month after injuring her back.

Rafael Nadal withdrew from the United States Open on Wednesday, less than a month after pulling out of the Olympics because of a knee injury.

The Williams sisters have not had it easy in recent years. Two of the modern era's most successful women tennis players have been beset by health problems which have deprived the game of two of its most marketable stars.

Defending champion Roger Federer pulled out of his semifinal match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the Qatar Open because of a back injury on Friday. However, the 16-time Grand Slam champion says he expects to be ready for the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 16. In a news conference 30 minutes before his match, Federer said his back had not improved since beating Andreas Seppi in three sets on Thursday.

Rafael Nadal says he plans to take several weeks off after the Australian Open to recover from a nagging shoulder injury.

Venus Williams dropped out after revealing a diagnosis of Sjogren’s Syndrome, which causes fatigue and joint pain.

Defending champion Kim Clijsters withdraws from the US Open with a stomach muscle injury. "Unfortunately, I will not be able to defend my US Open title this year," the Belgian, a three-time winner at Flushing Meadows, said in a statement.

World number one Rafael Nadal refuses to shed light on his injury after crashing out of the Australian Open in straight sets to David Ferrer.