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SERENA WILLIAMS WITHDRAWS FROM ADVANTA CHAMPIONSHIPS AND WTA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS World No. 3 player says she misses playing tennis and is as eager as ever to return to the court soon ST. PETERSBURG, FL (October 17, 2003) – Serena Williams, who has been recuperating from left knee surgery the past 2˝ months, has withdrawn from the Advanta Championships in Philadelphia and the season-ending Bank of America WTA Tour Championships presented by Porsche in Los Angeles, the WTA Tour announced today. Williams, who is ranked No. 3 in the world, underwent successful surgery on August 1 to repair a partial tear in the quadriceps tendon of her left knee. Her rehabilitation has been progressing well, however Williams has been advised to continue her rehabilitation and her training to ensure she is in optimum condition when she returns to the WTA Tour. “I really miss playing tennis and I can’t wait to come back and compete, however I feel that I need more time to prepare and get myself in the best shape possible,’’ Williams said. “I’d like to thank all of the fans who have been so supportive. I’ll be back…better than ever.’’ Williams is 38-3 this year with four titles, including the Australian Open and Wimbledon, which was her last tournament before the surgery. She is currently third on the WTA Tour prize money list with $2,249,038. “We wish Serena all the best as she recovers from her injury, and while we will miss her, we are very excited about the event’s return to the Philadelphia area,” said Peter Fishbach, Tournament Chairman of the Advanta Championships. “There will be a lot of excitement at the Advanta Championships with Venus Williams’ return to action and the great recent play of Anastasia Myskina and her Russian counterparts. It will be a terrific week of women’s tennis at Villanova.” The singles draws in Philadelphia (Oct. 27-Nov. 2) and Los Angeles (Nov. 5-10) remain strong, particularly at the WTA Tour Championships where World No. 1 Kim Clijsters, reigning French Open and U.S. Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne and three-time Grand Slam champion Jennifer Capriati have clinched spots in the prestigious eight-player singles field, and tennis legend Martina Navratilova headlines the four-team doubles field. With a little less than three weeks remaining in the Porsche Race to the Championships, there is a tight battle for the final four singles spots at the Championships. There are at least nine players – Amelie Mauresmo, Elena Dementieva, Venus Williams, Anastasia Myskina, Chanda Rubin, Ai Sugiyama, Vera Zvonareva, Nadia Petrova and Paola Suarez – within reach of those four spots. Plus, Clijsters and Henin-Hardenne continue to wrestle for the year-end No. 1 ranking, which could be decided at the Championships. "We are disappointed Serena is not physically able to compete in the Bank of America WTA Tour Championships," said John Arrix, Bank of America WTA Tour Championships Tournament Director. "However, we are fortunate to have the battle for the coveted No. 1 ranking coming down to the Championships. The players who are involved in that duel, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne, who are separated by less than 100 points, will be here. We are anxious to see how that drama plays out, as are tennis fans in Southern California and
throughout the world." Visit the Kim Clijsters page here
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