The 31st all-Williams clash will not happen, at least not at the 2019 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, as Serena has pulled out of the tournament because of an old left knee injury, the same ailment that forced her to withdraw from her previous tournament, the Miami Open.
A day after recording a solid 6-4 6-2 victory over Swedish qualifier Rebecca Peterson in the first round and booking another blockbuster meeting with her sister Venus Williams, on top of extending her impressive record in Rome to 43-8, Serena has been forced to withdraw from this year’s edition of the Premier 5 event because of pain in her left knee.