Serena Williams pulls out of Australian Open

Ace Tennis player Serena Williams has withdrawn from the upcoming Australian Open. As per Serena, she is not feeling fit enough to compete in a challenging tournament such as the Australian Open.

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“I am not where I need to be physically to compete,” Williams said in an announcement on Wednesday as the Australian Open released the list of players who will be participating in the tournament.

The seven-time Australian Open champion has not played since June 28, where she pulled out of the Wimbledon from the first set of the opening round after injuring her right hamstring.

The injury has not healed as per expectations and forced Serena to miss the US Open as well. While Serena didn't mention that she has pulled out because of the hamstring injury, she revealed that she took the decision on the advice of her doctors.

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She said she is keenly waiting to return to action. However, she didn't mention when she will be back on the court. The World No 1 ruled tennis court for decades. However, she has failed to win a Grand Slam in over four years.

Her last Grand Slam title was the Australian Open in 2017. She was pregnant with her daughter Olympia then. After the birth of her daughter, she returned to the court and reached the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2018 and again in 2019. However, she failed to win the title.

While Serena has not been in at her best of late, she has shown flashes of brilliance at times. She reached the semifinals of the US Open in 2020, where she lost a taut three-set duel against Victoria Azarenka. In the Australian Open earlier this year in February, Williams looked in great physical condition. She was impressive in the early rounds but lost to Naomi Osaka in the semifinals.