PHOTOSSerena Williams Withdraws From Australian Open After Admitting She’s ‘Not Where She Wants to Be' After Giving Birth
Serena Williams may be the reigning Australia Open champion but she won't be defending that title in 2018.
Despite winning the Aussie Open while being pregnant last year, the 23-time grand slam winner announced that she withdrew from the tournament, twelve days before she was scheduled to compete.
“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 wrote on Snapchat Thursday. “My coach and team always said ‘Only go to tournaments when you are prepared to go all the way.’ With that being said I am disappointed to say I’ve decided not to compete in The Australian Open this year.”
Serena’s announcement follows her loss at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi over the weekend, which was four months after she welcomed her first child, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.
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"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," added Serena. "I appreciate the support and understanding of my fans and everyone at the Australian Open."
Back in April, Serena announced that she and her now-husband Alexis Ohanian were expecting their first child, noting that she was “20 weeks” along. It didn’t take long for fans to do the math and realize that she would have had to have been about eight weeks pregnant when she won the Australian Open in January.
What do you think about Serena’s decision to withdraw from the tournament? Sound off in the comments!
