Safina retires with injury at WTA Championships; gives Williams year-end No. 1 ranking

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Safina pulls out WTA Championships with bad back

DOHA, Qatar — Dinara Safina has pulled out of the Sony Ericsson Championships with a serious back injury, handing the year-end No. 1 ranking to Serena Williams.

Safina was serving at 1-1 in the first set against Jelena Jankovic Wednesday when she had to retire.

She said at the press conference afterward that her back has been hurting for three months and she took cortisone injections to attempt to defend her No. 1 ranking in Doha. Safina said doctors told her she will be sidelined for at least six weeks and may not be ready for the Australian Open.

Safina regained the top ranking this week, but her margin over Williams is so slim that the player who performed best in the tournament was guaranteed to end the year as No. 1.

Williams won her first match on Tuesday.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Dinara Safina has retired with an injury against Jelena Jankovic in her first round-robin match at the Sony Ericsson Championships.

She will lose her No. 1 ranking to Serena Williams if she has to pull out of the tournament in Doha, Qatar.

Safina was serving at 1-1 in the first set Wednesday when she stopped play, walked over to her chair and covered her face with a towel. She told the chair umpire she could not continue. The nature of the injury was not immediately clear.

Safina’s margin over Williams is so slim that the player who performs best in Doha will end the year as No. 1. Williams won her first match Tuesday.

The tournament features the top eight players in the world, with a group stage before the semifinals.