As expected, Serena Williams withdrew from the Nike Clash of Champions exhibition scheduled for March 8 in Eugene, Oregon. Williams hasn’t played since injuring her foot in July.
Victoria Azarenka will replace Williams, with Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer also scheduled to play.
The event listed Serena as a participant even though her prospects of playing were doubtful because her injured foot was in a walking boot until earlier this month. All 12,000 tickets for the event were said to have sold out within 11 minutes.
Williams will still appear at the event as a referee.—Matthew Cronin