SERENA WILLIAMS TO MISS OUT ON AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Australian tennis fans will miss out on seeing Serena Williams in action next year. That’s because the seven-time champion has announced that she won’t be competing in the Australian Open.
As the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open is known for attracting the biggest stars in tennis. Since Covid has hit, things have been different though.
CNN quotes Williams as saying “following the advice of my medical team, I have decided to withdraw from this year’s Australian Open. While this is never an easy decision to make, I am not where I need to be physically to compete.”
“Melbourne is one of my favourite 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.”
While Novak Djokovic has been named on the list for the tournament, it’s still not certain whether the Serbian will compete.
Organisers of the tournament have made it clear that all players who wish to compete will have to be fully vaccinated in order to participate. The world number one has not revealed his vaccination status and speculation has been rife that he might miss the tournament or will be forced to quarantine beforehand.
The Australian Open will take place from 17 to 30 January 2022.
Image credit: Eurosport