Serena Williams' clay-court season may well be over before it started.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion has withdrawn from next week's Rome event, prompting speculation she will pull out of Roland Garros as well.
Watch: Tennis Art
The French Open begins on May 27th.
Williams is a four-time Rome champion (2002, 2013, 2014 and 2016), whose last Tour-level clay-court match was the 2016 Roland Garros final.
The 36-year-old Williams has not played a match since losing to Indian Wells champion Naomi Osaka in Miami in March. She pulled out of this week's Madrid tournament requiring more time to be "100 percent ready to compete."
Williams return to the pro circuit in March from a 14-month absence after giving birth to her first child, daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian.
Photo credit: @InteBNLdItalia