7-time Champion Serena Williams Won’t Play Australian Open
Dec 8, 2021, 4:08 PM
Serena Williams of the United States attends a press conference ahead of The Championships - Wimbledon 2021 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 27, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by AELTC/Pool/Getty Images)
(Photo by AELTC/Pool/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Not long after Serena Williams’ name was absent from the entry list for the Australian Open, she confirmed the obvious: the seven-time champion won’t play the 2022 edition of the season-opening major in January.
The 40-year-old Williams hasn’t played since retiring from her first-round match at Wimbledon with a right hamstring injury and her ranking has slipped to No. 41.
All our love, @serenawilliams 💙
Come back stronger 💪 #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/HrrG1FFILF
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) December 8, 2021
She won the last of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles at the 2017 Australian Open, and was beaten in the semifinals this year by Naomi Osaka in straight sets.
The Australian Open’s website said the seven-time women’s singles champion would not compete in Melbourne “following advice from her medical team.”
