Sixth seed Petra Kvitova pulled out of the French Open on Monday with an injury to her playing arm. The 29-year-old Czech had been scheduled to start her bid for a third Grand Slam title against Romania's Sorana Cirstea on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
She will be replaced by the 18-year-old Slovenian lucky loser Kaja Juvan.
Kvitova said a scan had revealed a tear on her left forearm. "I am so disappointed to have to announce my withdrawal from Roland Garros," Kvitova wrote on Twitter. "Unfortunately it could get worse if I play."
A lay-off of around three weeks is expected. "Maybe I can play rightie ... so I'll do some fitness and everything that I can do to prepare my body for the tennis on the grass."
Two years ago Kvitova made her return to the circuit at Roland Garros after several months out to recover from a knife attack in her apartment during which her left hand was badly injured.
