Serena says she needs more time
WILLIAMS: SUPER CLOSE, BUT NOT WHERE I WANT TO BE
American star joins a lengthy list of absent players.
match was at the Australian Open final almost a year ago, which she won despite being two months pregnant, memorably beating sister Venus.
Since then, she has given birth to her first child and married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian at a star-studded wedding, where guests included Beyonce and reality TV star Kim Kardashian.
“After competing in Abu Dhabi I realised that although I am super close, I’m not where I personally want to be,” the 36-year-old said.
Her withdrawal deprives the opening Grand Slam of the year of another major star, after former world No 1 Andy Murray and Japan’s Kei Nishikori both pulled out injured this week.
In Abu Dhabi, Williams was clearly sluggish and had problems with her serve. She also stuck mostly to the baseline and only twice charged the net.
Despite this, she made it clear afterwards that she missed being on court and was desperate to play at Melbourne Park, where she has won seven times.
Few players have successfully bounced back after giving birth, and even fewer have managed to go on to win Grand Slam titles.
Williams can look to Margaret Court, Kim Clijsters, and Evonne Goolagong Cawley as those who achieved the feat as mothers.
The motivation is to match Court, renowned as the most successful player in Grand Slam history, but this must wait until the French Open at the earliest. –