THE TENNIS SUPERSTAR SAYS SHE ISN’T READY… DETAILS INSIDE!
Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open… saying she’s not quite ready to compete on a tournament level after recently giving birth.
Serena posted a message to her social media Thursday, “After performing in my first match after giving birth, I realized that although I am super close, I’m not where I personally want to be.” She added “My coach and team always said ‘Only go to tournaments when you are prepared to go all the way.'” Serena defeated her sister, Venus, in the Australian Open last year.
The new mom competed and lost in a tennis match just last month — her first official match since giving birth to her daughter in September. It was an exhibition match against Latvian player Jelena Ostapenko at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.
Williams was ranked No. 1 after winning the Australian Open last year, but will drop out of the rankings entirely with this withdrawal. It will also remove her from other events, but her status and protected ranking should allow her entrance into at least two Grand Slams and six other tournaments automatically.
As for the Australian Open … she says she looks forward to coming back and competing another time.
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