Caroline Wozniacki Withdraws from 2016 French Open Due to Ankle Injury

Former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki withdrew from the 2016 French Open on Tuesday because of an ongoing issue with her ankle, according to the tournament's official Twitter account. 

Wozniacki, 25, is currently the No. 34 player in the world. She has not made it out of the second round at Roland Garros since 2012 and has her worst career record in a major championship on the clay court.

The ankle injury previously caused her to withdraw from clay-court tournaments in Madrid and Rome. She last played in a competitive event in March, losing in the third round of the Miami Open to Elina Svitolina. There is no word on when she will be available to return, though so far Wozniacki is officially still committed to the Aegon Classic Birmingham in June.

This will be the first major tournament Wozniacki has not participated in since the 2007 Australian Open. While she's likely disappointed about going another year without making a mark in France, this break may wind up doing Wozniacki some good.

Once considered the next great hope of women's tennis, Wozniacki's career has flamed out over the last couple of years. She has not won a tournament since the 2015 BMW Malaysian Open, dropping down all the way to No. 17 in the year-end world rankings last year. It was her worst ranking at season's end since 2007—her first year as a full-time pro.

Things have only gotten worse in 2016, as she has dropped outside the top 30 because of a combination of injuries and ineffectiveness. Missing one of the sport's major pillars will send her even further down the rankings, and it's possible she'll be outside the top 40 when she returns to the court.

Grass courts have been friendlier to her than clay, but Wozniacki has still never made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon. A turnaround might have to wait all the way until the WTA returns to hard courts for U.S. Open prep.