Venus Williams withdraws from the 2023 Australian Open, will miss a Grand Slam for two consecutive years for the first time

Venus Williams breaks hearts of tennis fans as she announces her withdrawal from the upcoming 2023 Australian Open due to an injury.

Venus Williams withdraws from the 2023 Australian Open, will miss a Grand Slam for two consecutive years for the first time

Venus Williams

Venus Williams had delighted the tennis community by accepting the wildcard for the 2023 Australian Open. She started her season at the 2023 ASB Classic and almost made her way to the quarter-finals. She fell in the second round to Zhu Lin who won the match in three sets.

Fans were hoping that with Williams finding form, she could entertain at the upcoming Grand Slam in Melbourne Park. But to the disappointment of many, the former World No. 1 won’t be playing this year. The two-time runner-up at the Australian Open made her decision official and informed Tennis Australia accordingly.

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The official Twitter handle of the Australian Open broke the news. “Venus Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open due to an injury sustained at the ASB Classic in New Zealand,” tweeted the Grand Slam as the seven-time Grand Slam title winner made her decision final. As Williams was a wildcard entrant, her wildcard will now be extended to Australia’s Kim Birrell as confirmed by the tournament.

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Venus Williams joins Carlos Alcaraz in the list of withdrawals

Venus Williams
Venus Williams

Tennis fans have been dealt two big blows in the space of the last 12 hours. World No. 1 and 2022 US Open winner Carlos Alcaraz also announced his withdrawal from the Grand Slam. His injury suffered at the 2022 Paris Masters had just healed but he picked up another one in training. As a result, the teenager will not be making the trip Down Under.

As many fans were waking up to the news of Alcaraz, Williams has given one of her own. The American had shown some positive play in Auckland and while the chances of her winning the Major were extremely slim, she would have definitely attracted crowds. Venus made her debut at the Australian Open back in 1998 and finished runner-up twice, in 2003 and 2017.

This year’s absence would mean she misses the Grand Slam for the second year in a row. Prior to this, Williams had never missed the event for two consecutive years. Let alone the Australian Open, she had never missed any Major for two consecutive seasons but her streak ends this season.

Incase you missed it:

“Come back stronger,” Heartbroken fans on social media wish Carlos Alcaraz a speedy recovery as he withdraws from the 2023 Australian Open

“The courts have been checked,” Emma Raducanu’s claims of slippery courts leading to injury dismissed by the tournament director of the ASB Classic