By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday December 23, 2021
By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday December 31, 2021
Venus Williams will join her sister Serena on the sidelines at the 2022 Australian Open. For the first time since 1997, the tournament will be held without either of the Williams sisters in the main singles draw, and Venus herself, currently ranked 318, will miss the event for the first time since 2012.
It was confirmed on Friday via News Corp that the 41-year-old will miss 2022’s first Grand Slam. Venus Williams has not played on tour since August, and would have needed the last available wild card into the Australian Open to take part.
Williams is a two-time runner-up at the Australian Open. She reached the final in 2003 and 2017.
In addition to the Williams sisters, World No.4 Karolina Pliskova (injury) and Bianca Andreescu (resting and recuperating) will not make the trip down under. American Jennifer Brady, last year’s runner-up at Melbourne, and Czech Karolina Muchova, a semifinalist last year at the AO, will not compete either.
Main draw play begins on January 17th at Melbourne, while tour action heats up this week with the Adelaide International 500 event (January 3-9) and the Melbourne Summer Set 1 and 2 (January 4-9).
By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday December 31, 2021
Venus Williams will join her sister Serena on the sidelines at the 2022 Australian Open. For the first time since 1997, the tournament will be held without either of the Williams sisters in the main singles draw, and Venus herself, currently ranked 318, will miss the event for the first time since 2012.
It was confirmed on Friday via News Corp that the 41-year-old will miss 2022’s first Grand Slam. Venus has not played on tour since August, and would have needed the last available wild card into the Australian Open to take part.
Also Read: Serena Williams Steps out of Australian Open
Williams is a two-time runner-up at the Australian Open. She reached the final in 2003 and 2017.
In addition to the Williams sisters (Serena is missing on doctor's orders, as she continues to rehab the hamstring injury that took her out of Wimbledon last July), World No.4 Karolina Pliskova (injury) and Bianca Andreescu (resting and recuperating) will not make the trip down under. American Jennifer Brady, last year’s runner-up at Melbourne, and Czech Karolina Muchova, a semifinalist last year at the AO, will not compete either.
Main draw play begins on January 17th at Melbourne, while tour action heats up this week with the Adelaide International 500 event (January 3-9) and the Melbourne Summer Set 1 and 2 (January 4-9).