Serena Williams is set to miss the Indian Wells and the Miami Open due to a left knee injury, thought to be the same one that afflicted her at last year's US Open, and, as a result, the American will lose her No1 ranking to Angelique Kerber.
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"Sadly, I have to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open. I have not been able to train due to my knees and I am disappointed I cannot be there. I will keep moving forward and continue to be positive. I look forward to being back as soon as I can," Serena said in a statement released by the tournament.
Serena needed to at least reach the semifinals at Indian Wells to retain her No.1 ranking and now Kerber is set to regain her number one ranking regardless of how she performs in the tournament.
Serena has been inactive since capturing her 23rd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year, where she defeated her sister Venus Williams in the final. Her only other tournament this year was in Auckland, New Zealand, where she lost in the round of 16.
As a result of her withdrawal, the women's singles draw had to be reshuffled, with No.3 seed Karolina Pliskova moving into Williams' slot and No.5 seed Dominika Cibulkova moving into Pliskova's spot.
Serena won the Indian Wells title twice -- in 1999 and 2001 -- and then went on to boycott the tournament for 14 years after she was racially abused. She decided to return to the tournament again in 2015.
The 35-year-old will be determined to get back on the court and regain her No.1 ranking as soon as possible, but the 2017 Australian Open champion has not yet revealed when she is expected to make her comeback from her latest injury.
