| By Ted LePak |
Photo Credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve |
(January 9, 2011) Venus Williams has withdrawn from next week's Australian Open. She announced her decision on her web site.
She stated that her training and treatment are helping her comeback yet she is not quite ready to return to competition yet. She plans to return to the circuit next month.
Venus also withdrew from her second-round match at her last tournament, the 2011 U.S. Open, saying that she had been diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome.
Sjogren's syndrome is a systemic autoimmune disease in which immune cells attack and destroy the exocrine glands that produce tears and saliva. Other symptoms include excessive fatigue and aches and pains in muscles and joints.
Williams is reported to be in good shape, but that she wants to make sure that she's 100 percent healthy before returning. Venus hopes to play the United States' Fed Cup tie against Belarus in early February in Worcester.