Serena Williams has made the final decision on playing in the 2022 Australian Open. As mentioned by the Associated Press, Williams’ name was not on the entry list for the Grand Slam tennis tournament. Willams spoke about it on the Australian Open’s website and confirmed she will not be competing in the event after “following advice from her medical team.”
“While this is never an easy decision to make, I am not where I need to be physically to compete,” Williams told the website. “Melbourne is one of my favorite cities to visit and I look forward to playing at the AO every year. I will miss seeing the fans, but am excited to return and compete at my highest level.”
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In the 2021 Australian Open, Williams reached the semifinals only to lose to Naomi Osaka. She has won the Australian Open seven times but hasn’t won the event since 2017. In June, Williams would suffer an injury while competing in the first round at Wimbledon, forcing her to withdraw from the tournament.
“I was heartbroken to have to withdraw today after injuring my right leg,” Williams wrote in the Instagram post. “My love and gratitude are with the fans and the team who make being on centre court so meaningful. Feeling the extraordinary warmth and support of the crowd today when I walked on — and off — the court meant the world to me.” In August, Williams announced she would not be competing in the US Open because of a leg injury.
“After careful consideration and following the advice of my doctors and medical team, I have decided to withdraw from the US Open to allow my body to heal completely from a torn hamstring,” Williams wrote in an Instagram post. “New York is one of the most exciting cities in the world and one of my favorite places to play – I’ll miss seeing the fans but will be cheering on from afar. “Thank you for your continued love and support. I’ll see you soon.”
Williams, Australian Open win in 2017 was the last Grand Slam title she has won. Of the 23 grand slam titles Williams has claimed, 14 of those have come from the Australian Open and Wimbledon. The next time fans could see Williams in a Grand Slam tournament could be the French Open in May.
