Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will not play in next week's WTA tournament in California, blaming exhaustion for her withdrawal from the field.
The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells begins Monday with qualifying. First-round matches in women's play starts Wednesday. ATP men's first-round matches begin Thursday. Flavia Pennetta and Novak Djokovic won last year's title.
This year's tournament includes the world's best players, including Serena Williams. It will be Williams' first time at Indian Wells since 2001. Mewnwhile, Simona Halep expects to play if her rib injury allows.
Juan Martin del Potro is among players who received wild-card entry for this tournament. Del Potro won two years ago but is coming off wrist surgery in January.
Kvitova is No. 4 in world rankings, but she went out in the third round at the Australian Open. Since then she has played twice.
"Unfortunately I have been feeling exhausted on the court in recent weeks and unable to compete at 100 percent," she announced on her official website. "I will therefore be taking some time out in order to rest and restore my energy levels for the rest of the season."
Kvitova's best performance at Indian Wells was in 2013, when she reached the quarterfinals. Last year she was beaten in the fourth round by Dominika Cibulkova.
The tournament runs through March 22.
Contributing: Sportal.com.au