Injured Kim Clijsters Withdraws From Wimbledon 2011

Sunrise, sunset: With both Venus and Serena Williams slated to compete at Wimbledon 2011, the women’s tournament is assured of a more interesting draw than that fielded at Roland Garros. But Kim Clijsters, one of the very strongest all-round players in the game with perhaps the best chance to beat either sister on any given day, will be notably absent from this year’s Championships thanks to a recurring foot injury. The World No. 2 released a statement reading, in part:

Losing Clijsters is bad business for the tournament, but recall that she returned ahead of schedule from an injury to compete at the French Open and pursue a Grand Slam, and was summarily bounced by an unseeded second-round opponent. More rest is clearly needed on her part, and as the reigning U.S. Open and Australian Open champ, it’s not like Clijsters isn’t used to returning to form.

It’s back to the training table for world No. 2 Kim Clijsters: Following an injury-related withdrawal at Indian Wells and less than top-form play since, the defending U.S. Open and Australian Open champion will take at least a month off from play to attempt to heal nagging injuries in her right shoulder and wrist in time to put on a good showing at the 2011 French Open. This will mean missing playing for Belgium in the Fed Cup semis, and all of the Madrid Open, but according to Clijsters, it’s all by way of making it to Roland Garros:

Clijsters has openly pondered retirement as recently as March, but this setback doesn’t appear to be affecting her immediate plans as far as majors play: She hopes to return by tourney time in Rome, just a little more than a month away, to get some tuneup play in before facing her next Grand Slam challenge.