Serena Williams announced she won’t play the upcoming Australian Open as she is not 100% ready after giving birth just four months ago. The 23-time Grand Slam singles winner said, “After competing in Abu Dhabi I realized that although I am super close, I’m not where I personally want to be.”
The younger Williams sister goes on to say in a statement to media, “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. With that being said, and even though I am disappointed about it, I’ve decided not to compete in the Australian Open this year. 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.”
Serena will lose the 2,000 points earned winning last year’s final over her sister Venus, which means she won’t have any WTA ranking point by January 29.
