BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters could miss the French Open later this spring after injuring her ankle at her cousin's wedding.
Clijsters posted a note on her personal website, saying she would likely be sidelined for the next 4-to-6 weeks. The French Open gets underway in six weeks on May 22.
"The diagnosis is a severe strain of both the medial and lateral ligaments of the right ankle and a torn ligaments, a torn capsule of the ankle joint, a hematoma and torn tendon sheath," the statement on Clijsters' website read.
"Kim's ankle is now completely immobilized and she can not use her foot for a few days. Kim faces a recovery of at least four to six weeks. Since the French Open starts in literally six weeks, Kim's presence in Paris is very uncertain."
Clijsters was already battling shoulder and wrist injuries that were expected to keep her out for a month. She withdrew from Belgium's upcoming Fed Cup semifinal against the Czech Republic and was initially hoping to return for the May 9 start of the French Open tuneup in Rome.
A two-time runner-up at Roland Garros, Clijsters missed last year's French Open because of a foot injury. She has won the last two Grand Slam events, capturing the U.S. Open crown for a third time last September before winning the Australian Open in January.
