Serena Williams pulls out of vaccine-mandated Australian Open

Serena Williams pulls out of vaccine-mandated Australian Open
Serena Williams pulls out of vaccine-mandated Australian Open

Tennis great Serena Williams on Wednesday announced she will not be participating in this year's Australian Open in January on the 'advice from her medical team.'

In a statement following her noticeable absence from the early list of players at this year's tournament, Williams, 40, said: 'Following the advice of my medical team, I have decided to withdraw from this year's Australian Open.

'While this is never an easy decision to make, I am not where I need to be physically to compete.

'Melbourne is one of my favorite cities to visit, and I look forward to playing in the AO every year. I will miss seeing the fans, but am excited to return and compete at my highest level.' 

The announcement comes just one month after Craig Tiley, CEO of the Australian Open, said Williams would likely play in the tournament. 

Serena Williams, 40, announced on Wednesday that she will not participate in this year's Australia Open on the advice of her medical staff. Pictured: Williams during the 2021 tournament held in February

Serena Williams, 40, announced on Wednesday that she will not participate in this year's Australia Open on the advice of her medical staff. Pictured: Williams during the 2021 tournament held in February

She issued the statement on Twitter Wednesday, after not appearing in the list of players

She issued the statement on Twitter Wednesday, after not appearing in the list of players

Williams, 40, has not played on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour since June 28, when she retired late in the first set of her opening round match at Wimbledon due to an injured right hamstring.

The injury has been slow to heal, The New York Times reported, and kept Williams from competing in this year's U.S. Open in New York City. Her rank has since dropped to 41, despite holding more Grand Slam titles than any other player.

She has since been seen spending valuable time with her daughter, Alexis Olympia, posting photos to her Instagram on Tuesday of her getting glammed up while holding Alexis Olympia, whom she had with American internet entrepreneur and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohania.

It is unclear whether Williams decided not to participate in this year's tournament due to the injury, or if it could be due to the Australian Open's vaccination requirement. It's unclear if Williams is vaccinated or not.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Williams' agent, the WTA and the Australian Open for more information.

Williams, pictured in February, hasn't competed since injuring her right hamstring in June. She is now ranked 41 in the world, despite holding more Grand Slam titles than any other player

Williams, pictured in February, hasn't competed since injuring her right hamstring in June. She is now ranked 41 in the world, despite holding more Grand Slam titles than any other player

Williams proved to be a multitasking mom in a set of new Instagram photos she posted on Tuesday. The 40-year-old tennis sensation sat in a chair getting glammed-up while holding her four-year-old daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr

Williams proved to be a multitasking mom in a set of new Instagram photos she posted on Tuesday. The 40-year-old tennis sensation sat in a chair getting glammed-up while holding her four-year-old daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr

Australian Open officials announced last month that all players would have to be vaccinated in order to participate in this year's tournament.

'It is the one direction that you can take that you can ensure everyone's safety and all the playing groups understands it,' Tiley said in a television interview at the time.

'Our patrons will need to be vaccinated,' he said. 

'All the staff working the Australian Open will need to be vaccinated, but when we're in a state where there's more than 90 percent of the population fully vaccinated - they've done a magnificent job with that - it's the right thing to do.'

In response, Steve Simon, chief executive of the Women's Tennis Association, said that more than 70 percent of the top 300 singles players and the top 100 doubles players had been vaccinated, The Times reported.

It remains unclear whether Williams is among that 70 percent of vaccinated players, but her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, has previously tweeted in favor of the vaccinations.

In June, he wrote: 'Please get vaccinated. The data on the #DeltaVariant is not trending in the right direction.'

And in 2018, before the coronavirus pandemic, he posted that he and their daughter, Olympia, received their flu vaccines, writing: 'I know it wasn't fun, but vaccines are so important.

'There should be a national holiday for Jonas Salk right around the start of flu season just to remind everyone what a hero that man was for not only curing polio, but also GIVING AWAY... the vaccine (instead of patenting it),' he continued on Instagram.

'In the 1940s and early 50s, polio was considered one of the most terrifying public health problems in America. This guy shows up and says, "Hey, I can save all future generations of children from suffering from this crippling virus - and I don't want to make any money from it." 

'That's a boss move.' 

Her husband, Alex Ohanian, has previously tweeted in favor of vaccinations

Her husband, Alex Ohanian, has previously tweeted in favor of vaccinations

The event's vaccine requirement, though, did stir some controversy, as Serbian player Novak Djokovic, the No. 1 men's singles player on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour, which ranks male players, had expressed concerns about the vaccine.  

He had said he would wait to determine whether to get a COVID vaccine based on the Australia Open's rules, but his father, Srdjan Djokovic, had claimed in an interview with TV Prava in Serbia that the vaccination mandate is 'blackmail,' and said his son 'probably won't' comply.

'I wouldn't do that,' Srdjan said. 'And he's my son, so you decide for yourself.'

But Djokovic is now on the list to play at the event, which is set to begin on January 17 in Melbourne, Victoria - a state with some of the strictest coronavirus restrictions in the world, with six separate stay-at-home orders over 18 months.

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