2017 champion has not played since
Wimbledon in June‘ I am not where I need to be physically to compete’Serena Williams will not play at next month’s
Australian Open, the 23-times grand slam singles champion saying her level of fitness is not good enough to compete at the first major tournament of 2022.
![Australian Open: Serena Williams withdraws on medical team’s advice](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/25716e9a63ace16b0162fe2b53b67f56839d2e0b/971_131_2232_1339/master/2232.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=5e6ccfaf8368aeca92a299e93516ef1d)
Williams, who won the last of her seven
Australian Open titles in 2017, had an injury-disrupted season and has not played since she limped out of her first-round match at Wimbledon in June due to the leg injury.