Serena Williams Withdraws from 2018 Madrid Open, Needs More Prep Time

Serena Williams withdrew from the 2018 Mutua Madrid Open in Spain next week as she continues to prepare for a full-time return to the WTA Tour after giving birth in September.

BBC Sport reported the news Thursday and provided comments from event organizer Manolo Santana.

"We regret the absence of Serena," Santana said. "She is one of the great champions of our sport, she has always offered a show to the tournament and we hope to see her again at the Caja Magica in the future."

Williams has made sporadic appearances since returning for an exhibition match against 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in late December.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion played doubles alongside sister Venus Williams as part of the Fed Cup in February. She also appeared in a Tie Break Tens event in March before competing in the WTA events at Indian Wells and Miami.

She compiled an overall record of 3-5 in those matches.

Williams' journey is being documented in the HBO series Being Serena, which debuted Wednesday night with the tennis superstar explaining how she "almost died" following birth complications, per CNN:

"First my C-section wound popped open due to the intense coughing I endured as a result of the embolism. I returned to surgery, where the doctors found a large hematoma, a swelling of clotted blood, in my abdomen. And then I returned to the operating room for a procedure that prevents clots from traveling to my lung. When I finally made it home to my family, I had to spend the first six weeks of motherhood in bed."

It's unclear whether Williams will return to action in time for the 2018 French Open. The season's second major is scheduled to kick off May 27 at Stade Roland Garros in Paris.

She last competed in a Grand Slam event at the 2017 Australian Open, which she won.