'I am not where I need to be physically to compete,' the athlete said.
Serena Williams will not be competing at the Australian Open. On Wednesday, the Twitter account for the tennis tournament, which is set to begin on Jan. 17, shared a statement from Williams announcing her decision to withdraw from the event on medical advice.
"Following the advice of my medical team, I have decided to withdraw from this year's Australian Open," Williams' statement began. "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 favorite cities to visit and I look forward to playing at the AO every year," she continued. "I will miss seeing the fans but am excited to return and compete at my highest level."
Williams is a seven-time Australian Open champion. Her 2017 victory at the tournament marked the most recent of her 23 Grand Slam wins. At the 2021 Australian Open in February, Williams lost in the semifinals to Naomi Osaka.
Wimbledon is the tournament Williams last competed in, though she pulled out of the June event after injuring her right leg during her match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.
The injury followed Williams' announcement that she would not compete at the Tokyo Olympics, which were held in July and August. Williams is a four-time Olympic gold medalist.
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