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MELBOURNE. — Tennis legend Venus Williams will not take part in this year’s Australian Open, leaving the remaining women’s singles wildcard spot open for an Australian player.
The 41-year-old has not played since August due to a leg injury, and confirmed last Friday her non-participation in the first Grand Slam of 2022.
She joins her sister Serena Williams, who will also miss the tournament due to a hamstring injury.
This year’s Australian Open will be the first time since 1997 that the tournament will not play host to either of the famous Williams sisters.
Venus Williams fell outside of the top 100 in the women’s rankings in May for the first time in nine years.
Currently ranked at No. 318, she was still favoured to fill the final wildcard spot.
News Corp revealed last Friday that Williams did not travel to Melbourne, confirming that she would not participate in any warm-up tournaments, nor the Australian Open.
Venus Williams contested 13 of the past 14 Australian Opens, missing only in 2012 while she was dealing with the debilitating effects of auto-immune disease.
It will be the first time since 1997 that neither Williams sister is in the Melbourne Park main draw.
Williams just returned to her Florida base and is spending time with Serena and her daughter, Olympia, after visiting Paris.
She was runner-up at Melbourne Park in 2017 and 2003 and reached at least the quarter-finals seven other times.
Seven of the eight Australian Open women’s wildcards are already allocated, including four to locals Sam Stosur, Daria Saville (nee Gavrilova), Storm Sanders and Maddison Inglis.
The others went to Xiyu Wang (Asia-Pacific), Robin Anderson (United States) and Diane Parry (France) as part of annual arrangements. — MSN Sport
Online Reporter