Venus Williams withdrew from the Australian Open due to an injury she acquired this week in Auckland, New Zealand.
Williams won a wild-card entrance into the Australian Open last month to compete in what would have been her 22nd Grand Slam tournament at Melbourne Park.
The Australian Open announced on Saturday that Williams, age 42, had withdrawn from the competition commencing on January 16. It provided no details regarding the injury.
Williams has not competed at Melbourne Park since 2021, continuing a string of misfortunes.
Williams, a two-time Australian Open finalist, hurt her ankle and knee when she stumbled awkwardly at the net during her second-round match against Sara Errani.
Her best performances at Melbourne Park occurred in 2003 and 2017 when she was defeated in the finals by her sister Serena Williams.
When handed the wild card in December, Williams, who is now ranked 1,002, expressed excitement about returning to Melbourne.
She stated, “I’ve been competing in Australia for over 20 years, and the community has always supported me wholeheartedly.”
Over the previous two years, the five-time Wimbledon singles winner has battled ailments and was limited to just four events in the United States last August. Alison van Uytvanck terminated her season at the US Open when she defeated her in the first round.
However, she began 2023 on a strong note by defeating Katie Volynets in Auckland. She was then defeated in three sets by Zhu Lin of China in the second round.
»Venus Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open due to injury«