Serena Williams withdraws from Australian Open, citing medical team's advice


Tennis legend Serena Williams won't make it to the 2022 Australian Open after all.
Williams announced Wednesday she has decided to withdraw from January's Australian Open, citing advice from her medical team.
"While this is never an easy decision to make, I am not where I need to be physically to compete," she said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The announcement comes after Williams withdrew from Wimbledon in June when she injured her leg, and she subsequently withdrew from the U.S. Open in August "to allow my body to heal completely from a torn hamstring." She has not played since sustaining this injury, The Washington Post notes.
In November, Williams said on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that her hamstring was "much better now," and she looked back on the moment she was injured at Wimbledon.
"I was actually winning, and I went for a shot, and I just heard this noise, and I was like, 'Oh, no,'" she said. "...I felt it, but I felt like, 'Okay, well let me just keep trying." And it was bad."
At that time, though, Williams said she still intended to compete in the Australian Open in January. In her statement Wednesday, she that Melbourne is "one of my favorite cities to visit and I look forward to playing at the AO every year," adding, "I will miss seeing the fans but am excited to return and compete at my highest level."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Why ‘anti-Islam’ bikers are guarding Gaza aid sites
In The Spotlight Members of Infidels MC, who regard themselves as modern Crusaders, among private security guards at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites
-
China: Xi seeks to fill America’s void
Feature Trump’s tariffs are pushing nations eastward as Xi Jinping focuses on strengthening ties with global leaders
-
Rebrands: Bringing back the War Department
Feature Trump revives the Department of Defense’s former name
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play