Serena Williams withdraws from Australian Open

London : Serena Williams has announced that she will not be defending her title at the Australian Open.

Serena beat sister Venus in the 2017 final in Melbourne, and later revealed that she was pregnant while competing in the tournament.

The 36-year-old gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia in September, and returned to the court in an exhibition match against Jelena Ostapenko in Abu Dhabi at the end of December.

In a statement on Snapchat, she wrote: “After performing in my first match after giving birth I realised 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’. I can compete – but I don’t want to just compete, I want to do far better than that and to do so, I will need a little more time.

“With that being said, and even though I am disappointed about it, I’ve decided not to compete in the Australian Open this year.

“The memory of last year’s Open is one that I will carry with me, and Olympia and I look forward to coming back again. I appreciate the support and understanding of my fans and everyone at the Australian Open.”