Venus Williams may opt out of this week's German Open after suffering an abdominal strain which forced her to concede defeat to Amelie Mauresmo in the final of the J & S Cup on Sunday in Warsaw.

Mauresmo, second seed behind Williams, secured the title and £70,000 when her ailing opponent withdrew when trailing 6-7 (8/6) 6-0 3-0 and 40-30 in the fourth game of the deciding set.

Speaking after the match, Williams revealed that she may miss the trip to the Berlin tournament which begins on Monday and where she is the second seed.

The match opened in bright sunshine but with a breeze swirling round the court, making serving and shot-placing difficult.

Williams broke Mauresmo's first serve and went into a 2-0 and 4-2 lead but never seemed to be settled.

French battler Mauresmo kept the rallies long, forcing Williams to stay on the baseline and not letting her get into any kind of rhythm.

It was a policy which earned her a break back, but even though Williams double-faulted six times she took the set on a tie-break in an hour and four minutes.

Williams had won her last game in the match and Mauresmo went on a winning streak to take a second set to love and open up a commanding advantage in the crucial third.

Treatment had been administered to Williams before the commencement of the third set, but it clearly had no effect on her performance as Mauresmo closed in on victory.

"That was a pretty strange end," said Mauresmo after Williams decided to halt the match to spare herself any more pain.

"Even though I lost the tie-break after having two set balls, I knew I was going to give her some trouble.

"I was playing some good tennis and tried to keep it going. The clay-court surface was slow so I knew her pace wouldn't give me so much trouble.

"I gave every shot 100%. My coach tells me I need to be more self-confident. I've already improved a lot in this area and this kind of win is good for my confidence in the run-up to the French Open, especially against someone like Venus Williams."

Williams looked downcast after the match.

"I had no hint of any trouble before the match," she said.

"It was strange. Suddenly I had a spot [of pain] and suddenly a big spot.

"It happened in the first set but I didn't realise what it was. I thought it was stomach ache.

"If you have an injury in a match you feel (like ): 'I don't believe this is happening to me.'

"But then I realised I had to do something and get help.

"How bad is it? It's not good.

"I've been told that an abdominal strain needs more time than a regular strain.

"I'm being advised not to take part in the Berlin tournament next week, but it's my decision and I haven't decided yet what to do.

"I can walk around fine but I don't have a desk job.

"What shots hurt the most with the strain? "Serve, high balls, forehands, backhands. Despite today I've had a great tournament.

"I hope to return next year and have an even better time and win. I'm not exactly healthy just now, but I'm in good spirits.

"Both my mum and I liked Warsaw. We didn't know what to expect but we've had a good time."

Asked whether she would return next year with sister Serena, the world number one, in tow, Williams added: "I'll try but you know how it is with younger sisters, you can't tell them anything!"