Jean-Pierre Muller, AFP, Getty Images Serena Williams' dominating serve won't be seen at Roland Garros this year. Click photo for larger image.

PARIS -- The French Open lost some of its luster yesterday when former champion Serena Williams pulled out hours before the draw.

Williams, who has a sprained left ankle, said she still hasn't recovered enough from the injury in early April to play in the Grand Slam event that starts Monday.

"I am very disappointed to be forced to withdraw," Williams said, according to the WTA. "Roland Garros is a fantastic global event with great fans, and I look forward to participating in next year's tournament."

Williams, the 2002 French Open champion, won the Australian Open this year for her seventh Grand Slam title. She was replaced by Russia's Elena Dementieva as the fourth-seeded player in the draw.

No. 1 Lindsay Davenport, who rarely plays well on clay and never has gotten past the semifinals at the French, starts against Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik.

No. 2 Maria Sharapova of Russia starts against countrywoman Evgenia Linetskaya, with the winner going against one of two wild cards. Sharapova is seeded to play No. 10 Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium in the quarters.

Roger Federer caught a break in his quest for a career Grand Slam when No. 2-ranked Lleyton Hewitt pulled out Thursday.

That meant Federer will not be able to meet clay-court phenom Rafael Nadal before the semifinals.

Federer, seeded No. 1, plays his first match against either a qualifier or a lucky loser and will have a relatively easy path until a possible quarterfinal match against Argentina's David Nalbandian, No. 10, a semifinalist last year.

Federer's best performance in six appearances at Roland Garros was in 2001, when he reached the quarterfinals. But he's coming off a victory in Hamburg that gave him confidence he could complete his quest for a career slam at age 23.

American Andy Roddick, seeded No. 2 despite a shaky history on clay, opens against French wild card Jo-wilfried Tsonga. Roddick is seeded to meet former champion and No. 6 Andre Agassi in the quarters.

Nadal, 18, the winner of five clay-court events this year, rose to No. 4 in the seedings after Hewitt's withdrawal.