World No 1 Serena Williams had to pull out of her first match of the season with a knee injury - just two weeks before the Australian Open.
Williams was 7-5 2-1 down to Australia's Jarmila Wolfe at the Hopman Cup in Perth, when she retired citing an inflamed knee.
She had appeared extremely restricted in her movement during the match, particularly on her left side. And it appears to cast some doubts over her title defence in Melbourne, where she will aim for a seventh singles title later this month.
On Monday, she had been due to play against Ukraine, but pulled out just before the start of the match with the same problem.
"I have some knee inflammation that's going away very slowly. It's going, it just needs a little more time," she said.
Williams has not yet ruled out playing against the Czech Republic on Thursday.
"I'm not making any decisions. I'm just taking it one day at a time," she added. "I've been training really hard during the off-season and really pushing myself beyond the limits, I just think a day or two off will make a world of difference."
Williams said she remained confident of another successful Australian Open campaign.
"Speed is my strength so I definitely think I will be able to get it right for Australia," she said. "I only think positive and I know I'll be okay. It's not even a bump, just a minor thing in the road and I'm going fly over it."
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