Williams out of Aussie Open
Tennis superstar Serena Williams is pledging to return to Melbourne Park in pursuit of an eighth Australian Open crown after withdrawing from this month’s showpiece.
The 23-time major winner and women’s titleholder gave birth to her first child last September and said yesterday she’s not yet ready for a comeback.
Williams made her decision after losing an exhibition match last week in Avu Dhabi to French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.
‘‘After competing in Abu Dhabi, I realised that although I am super close, I’m not where I personally want to be,’’ Williams said.
‘‘My coach and team always said ‘only go to tournaments when you are prepared to go all the way’.
‘‘I can compete — but I don’t want to just compete. I want to do far better than that and to do so, I will need a little more time.’’
Williams last year beat older sister Venus in the final before revealing she played the tournament despite being more than two months pregnant.
The 36-year-old had been desperate to defend her crown — one she cherishes as possibly her most memorable triumph — and equal Australian great Margaret Court’s all-time record 24 grand slam singles titles.
‘‘Fun fact: my daughters initials are AO as in the Aussie open she won with me AustralianOpen,’’ Williams tweeted in a touching tribute to the Open after becoming a mother.
‘‘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,’’ Williams added.
Open tournament director Craig Tiley expressed his admiration for Williams’s efforts to return to the game she loves. ‘‘The true champion Serena is has been demonstrated in the Herculean efforts she has made over the past few months in her desire to play the Australian Open,’’ Tiley said.
Williams’ scratching comes less than 24 hours after fellow former world No 1 Andy Murray withdrew from the men’s event with a chronic hip injury.
Former No 1-ranked Murray, a three-time major winner, has not played a competitive match since a quarterfinal exit at Wimbledon last July. Japanese star Kei Nishikori has also pulled out.
Several other big names, including top-ranked Rafael Nadal, six-time champion Novak Djokovic and 2014 winner Stan Wawrinka, also remain under fitness clouds 10 days out from the year’s first grand slam event.
Williams’ absence raises the prospect of another first-time grand slam winner making their mark in Melbourne.
Latvian trailblazer Ostapenko in Paris and American Sloane Stephens at the US Open both won their first majors last year while Williams was sidelined.
Five different players also shared the top ranking in 2017 after Williams was dethroned during her hiatus.
Romanian Simona Halep, the current world No 1, and Dane Caroline Wozniacki are jostling for women’s top seeding status in Melbourne.