Azarenka Out Of French Open Due To Foot Injury

[May 19, 2014]  (Reuters) - World number five Victoria Azarenka has withdrawn from the French Open as she continues to recover from a foot injury that forced her earlier withdrawals from tournaments in Doha, Miami, Madrid and Rome.

"Unfortunately I will not be able to compete in Roland Garros this year," the two-time Australian Open champion wrote on her Twitter page.

"Working hard on my recovery and getting back on court."

Azarenka has battled an injury to her left foot for more than two months, playing just one match - a loss to American Lauren Davis in her opening encounter at Indian Wells in early March.

Her foot problem flared up at the Australian Open in January, where she was the two-time defending champion, though was beaten by Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska in the quarter-finals.

The French Open begins on Sunday and runs until June 8.

World number one Serena Williams is the defending women's champion.

(Reporting by Greg Stutchbury in Wellington; Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)

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