Serena Williams will not be defending her Australian Open title at this year’s tournament. She’s decided that she isn’t ready to perform at a professional level after giving birth in September.
“After performing in my first match after giving birth I realized that although I am super close I’m not where I personally want to be,” Williams said in a statement. “My coach and team always said, ‘Only go to tournaments when you are prepared to go all the way.’”
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She continued, “With that being said I am disappointed to say I’ve decided not to compete in the Australian Open this year. However, the memory of last year’s Open is one that I will carry with me and Olympia and I look forward to coming back again. I appreciate the support and understanding of my fans and everyone at the Australian Open.”
The match Williams is referring to took place at an exhibition in Abu Dhabi. She lost to French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko last week.
The 36-year-old has already won the Australian Open seven times. She won in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015 and 2017.
Williams’ daughter, Alexis Olympia, was born in September. On Dec. 17, Alexis started teething, so Williams called out to her fans to ask for help.
Williams and Alexis’ dad, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, married in New Orleans in November.
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