Venus Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open for an undisclosed injury she suffered while playing in a tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, this week.
A seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, Williams last month received a wild-card entry into the Australian Open to compete in what would have been her 22nd time in the major event.
But Australian Open officials said Saturday that Williams, 42, had withdrawn from the tournament, which will begin Jan. 16 (Jan. 15 in U.S. time zones).
The officials did not provide specifics regarding the injury.
Withdrawal from the tournament continues a run of misfortunes for Williams, who most recently played at Melbourne in 2021.
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A two-time Australian Open finalist, Williams injured an ankle and knee during that appearance when she stumbled awkwardly at the net in a second-round match against Sara Errani.
Williams’ best efforts in Melbourne came when she was beaten by her sister, Serena Williams, in the final in 2003 and 2017.
Now ranked No. 1,003 in the world, Venus Williams said when granted the wild card in December that she was excited to return to Melbourne.
“I’ve been competing in the country for over 20 years now, and the Australian community has always supported me wholeheartedly,” she said.
Will Venus Williams retire from tennis soon?
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The five-time Wimbledon singles champion has struggled with injuries over the past two years and was restricted to playing four tournaments in the U.S. last August.
She did not progress beyond the first round in those events and ended her season when beaten by Alison van Uytvanck at the U.S. Open on Aug. 30.
But Venus started 2023 on a positive note by defeating fellow American Katie Volynets in Auckland on Monday.
Venus then was beaten by China’s Zhu Lin in three sets in the second round on Thursday.
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