Wed Apr 9 10:51:13 2008

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Venus takes leave of absence

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Amelia Island, FL (Sports Network) - Wimbledon champion Venus Williams has decided to take some time off from playing tennis, but has not given a reason why.

"I've just been having some issues that I need to resolve, so I'm working on that at the moment and I'm hoping to be back playing as soon as possible," she said.

Last week, the six-time Grand Slam event champion announced her withdrawal from this week's Bausch & Lomb Championships, citing a medical issue. The powerful American played in Miami last week, and lost to U.S. Open runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals.

Williams still wants to play at the French Open in late May.

"Of course I want to be there (in Paris)," the former world No. 1 said. "I don't want to be at home watching on TV."

Williams is currently ranked sixth in the world and 10-5 in her singles action this season.