Serena Williams returns to Carla Suarez Navarro, of Spain, during the women's final at the Miami Open tennis tournament, Saturday, April 4, 2015, in Key Biscayne, Florida. - AP

ROME, AP:

Trying not to make the same mistake as last year and let an injury affect her chances at Roland Garros, top-ranked Serena Williams withdrew from the Italian Open yesterday with a right elbow problem.

Williams, the defending champion, made the announcement before she was scheduled to face American qualifier Christina McHale in the third round.

"We have to make the right decisions for the future, not for now," Williams said. "You know I hate quitting, and this isn't quitting, it's just making a good decision.

"I was really injured last year, and ended up taking like five days off before Paris and practising just a day or two before the tournament started," Williams added. "And entering a Grand Slam, you never want to enter it like that, especially as defending champion."

The Italian Open is the last major warm-up tournament for the French Open, which starts in 10 days.

Williams said the injury first affected her at last week's Madrid Open, where she lost to Petra Kvitova in the semi-finals.