Venus Williams withdraws from the Madrid Open with an illness

Venus Williams also withdrew from the Malaysian Open two weeks ago. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) Venus Williams has withdrawn from next week's Madrid Open,

Courtney Nguyen|

Venus Williams also withdrew from the Malaysian Open two weeks ago. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Venus Williams has withdrawn from next week's Madrid Open, citing a continuing illness.

Ranked No. 32, Williams is the second high-profile withdrawal from Madrid, a WTA Premier Mandatory tournament. Victoria Azarenka announced last week that she would miss the event because of a foot injury that has sidelined her since the BNP Paribas Open in early March.

Williams started the year strong by making the final of the ASB Classic and winning the Dubai Championships on Feb. 22. But she's played only two tournaments since then, losing in the round of 16 at both the Sony Open and Family Circle Cup.

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Published May 1, 2014 | Modified May 1, 2014

COURTNEY NGUYEN

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.

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