Serena Williams Pulls Out Of BNP Paribas Open

By ESPN

The day before the highly anticipated BNP Paribas Open is set to begin at Indian Wells, California, No. 1-ranked Serena Williams pulled out Tuesday.

So much for the drama of the WTA's top ranking being in play over the 11 days of the tournament.

Now, No. 2 Angelique Kerber will return to No. 1 -- without even hitting a ball.

Williams, an Indian Wells finalist a year ago, cited a left knee injury -- thought to be the same injury that afflicted her at last year's US Open -- after withdrawing from Indian Wells and the following event in Miami.

"I have not been able to train due to my knees and am disappointed I cannot be there," Williams said in a statement released by the tournament. "I will keep moving forward and continue to be positive. I look forward to being back as soon as I can."

Williams, 35, won the recent Australian Open and did not play a single match in her seventh reign as No. 1.

This was a well-kept secret, even in the closed community of professional tennis. Even an hour after the news broke on Twitter, the BNP Paribas website's lead story was, "Serena Heads Women's Singles Draw."

As recently as Feb. 26, Serena was seen hitting balls with two random men in a video that went viral. She was taking a walk in San Francisco with her fiancé, Alexis Ohanian, and dog Chip, when she took the court in furry black boots.

After winning her 23rd Grand Slam singles title in January, Williams seemed poised for a run at the title she hadn't won since 2001. She ended a 13-year boycott two years ago at Indian Wells, but was forced to grant Simona Halep a walkover after she suffered a knee injury. A year ago, Williams lost to Victoria Azarenka in the final.

It hasn't been a spectacular year for Kerber, who entered the season at No. 1 but gave the top spot back after the action in Australia. Twice, the 29-year-old German has lost her first match in a tournament.

After Williams' withdrawal the draw was recast, placing No. 3 seed Karolina Pliskova on Williams' top line of the top half of the draw. The other top seeds: No. 2 Kerber, No. 4 Simona Halep, No. 5 Dominika Cibulkova, No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska, No. 7 Garbine Muguruza, No. 8 Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Williams' departure leaves this WTA Premier Mandatory tournament very much open to suggestion. Already missing are three multiple Grand Slam champions. Maria Sharapova is still serving a drug suspension, Azarenka is the mother of a young son and still on maternity leave, and Petra Kvitova is recovering from a stabbing incident. While Sharapova is due back in April, there is no public timetable for the returns of Azarenka and Kvitova.