Venus Williams pulls out of Chase Championships
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Posted: Thursday November 09, 2000 3:30 PM


NEW YORK (Reuters) -- The season-ending Chase Championships lost a great deal
of its luster Thursday when Venus Williams added her name to the growing list
of qualified players to withdraw from the tournament.

Minutes before Thursday's draw for the singles field of 16, WTA Tour
officials were informed by a Williams representative that the Wimbledon, U.S.
Open and Olympic champion had pulled out suffering from anemia.

The withdrawal was a huge blow to the event, coming on the heels of Wednesday
night's announcement that former U.S. Open winner and Venus's younger sister
Serena Williams, French Open champion Mary Pierce and Anke Huber had all
pulled out with injuries.

"The Tour has been in contact with Venus Williams and her representative for
several days and is getting confirmation from her doctor of the medical
reasons for her withdrawal," WTA Tour CEO Bart McGuire said in a statement
issued at Thursday's draw.

"Venus has assured us that she wanted very much to play the Chase
Championships this year... She held off her withdrawal until the last minute
in hopes of playing," McGuire said.

This was to be Williams's second career appearance at the season finale and
first as a Grand Slam champion.

WTA Tour official Georgina Clark said it was her understanding that Williams
was first diagnosed with a form of anemia following the Linz tournament last
month.

Clark said she believed that Williams, after a grueling summer schedule, was
concerned about her fitness and trying to avoid an illness or injury that
might force her to miss much of the beginning next season. Williams sat out
the first five months of the 2000 season suffering from tendinitis in her
wrists.

American Amy Frazier was added to the 16-player field to fill the gap left by
Williams, but she will surely not be able to fill the seats at Madison Square
Garden that the popular Williams sisters could have.

"Obviously we are disappointed," said the arena's senior vice president for
sports, Joel Fisher.

Serena Williams, who was to make her delayed debut after pulling out injured
last year once the tournament had already begun, withdrew to rest a stress
fracture in her right foot that she originally suffered in August, though she
had since played with the injury at the U.S. Open and the Olympics.

Mary Pierce is still suffering from the right rotator cuff injury that she
aggravated at the U.S. Open, forcing her to retire from her fourth round
match there.

Huber has yet to fully recover from the painful wrist injury she sustained
during a U.S. Open doubles match.