Venus out

PARIS (AP):

Venus Williams pulled out of the French Open last Friday, 24 hours after her younger sister Serena withdrew, making it the first Grand Slam tournament since 2003 without either Williams.

Venus' agent, Carlos Fleming, wrote in an email to The Associated Press that the seven-time Grand Slam champion notified tournament organisers she wouldn't compete at Roland Garros, where play starts May 22.

The 30-year-old American has been off the tour since January, when she stopped playing only minutes into a match in the third round of the Australian Open because of a hip injury. A left knee injury limited her to just one tournament over the final six months of 2010.

Serena pulled out of the French Open last Thursday; she hasn't entered a tournament since winning her fourth Wimbledon singles championship in early July. A few days later, she cut her foot on glass at a restaurant in Germany, an injury that led to two operations.