Newsmakers

Sidelined Tennis star Serena Williams pulled out of next week’s Monterrey Open because of an ankle injury. Tournament organizers said Saturday they were told of the withdrawal by the WTA. They said Williams turned down a wild-card invitation because she hurt her ankle during a recent practice.

• Bulls star Derrick Rose remained out of the lineup because of back pain and missed his fifth straight game, Chicago’s matchup against the New Jersey Nets.

Returned Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green is back after missing 18 games because of an abdominal injury. , who had abdominal surgery last month, was sidelined early in the season by a sprained right ankle and then injured his groin in early November.

Injured Houston Rockets forward Jordan Hill injured his right knee in practice and is expected to miss at least two weeks. Hill was evaluated by Dr. Walter Lowe, who found he has a sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

Agreed The Kansas City Royals agreed to contracts with first baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas, outfielder Lorenzo Cain and right-hander Luis Mendoza, two days before pitchers and catchers are due to report to spring training in Surprise, Ariz.

Banned All the clubs in Mexico’s football league agreed to ban access to one of the country’s most important sports newspapers. An announcement posted on the website of the Mexican Football Federation says the clubs acted in solidarity with the Guadalajara team, whose owner has often denounced coverage by the tabloid “Record.” A club statement accuses the paper of “a campaign of hate and abuses.”

Sentenced The former deputy head of China’s soccer association was sentenced to 10 1/2 years in prison as part of a crackdown on corruption and match-fixing. Yang Yimin, convicted of taking $200,000 in bribes, was one of 39 people sentenced in a single session by the court in the northeastern city of Tieling, the official Xinhua News Agency said.