Officials at the Sydney International have confirmed that former world No.1 Serena Williams will not be playing at the tournament following talks.
Australian newspaper The Courier Mail have reported that organisers hoped that Williams would play in the tournament, which will get underway on Sunday, alongside sister Venus in the doubles. Those hopes have now been dashed after her team confirmed that she will not be participating. Raising questions about if she will return to defend her title at the Australian Open, which will start a week on Monday.
“Serena will focus her time and attention on the defence of her crown in Melbourne,” said tournament director Lawrence Robertson.
“For the time being she wants to do that outside of the competitive environment.
“We’ve got such a tough tournament here, especially in the women’s field with seven grand slam champions. And when you’re trying to come back from what Serena is, it is understandable if you don’t want to go up against that calibre of competition.
“We totally respect and understand her decision. We were hopeful all the way that she’d be here but it isn’t to be.”
Williams hasn’t played on the WTA Tour for almost a year after giving birth to her first child, a baby girl named Alexis Olympia, in September. She played her first competitive match last week at a exhibition event in the United Arab Emirates. Facing French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, the American fell 6-2, 3-6, [10-5].
Following the match, Williams told reporters in Abu Dhabi that she remains uncertain about her comeback date. Explaining that she is in the process of assessing where her level currently is with her team.
“I don’t know if I am totally ready to come back on the Tour yet,” Williams admitted. “I know that, when I come back, I definitely want to be competing for championships. I am taking it one day at a time. I am going to assess everything with Patrick [Mouratoglou, her coach] and my team.”
Speculation is now mounting about what Williams’ next move will be. If she did travel to Melbourne, she could play in the Kooyong Classic. A mixed exhibition tournament that will take place between the 9th-12th January. On their official website, only three female players have been confirmed as playing so far. Although there have been no announcement from the 36-year-old regarding her future plans.
This year, Williams is aiming to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles.
