Breaking news: Serena Williams withdraws from Australian Open 2011

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Wilson Blade 9

When Serena Williams withdrew from the Hopman Cup it was hinted that she could also skip the 2011 Australian Open, but now it is official that Serena will not be defending her title at the Grand Slam in Melbourne. The reason is again her foot injury, which has been standing behind her withdrawals from tournaments ever since she won Wimbledon in the middle of the past season.

Here’s part of Serena’s statement:

As I recently learned, pushing myself back into my intense training too early only caused me further injury and damage. While I desperately want to be back on the court and competing in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, it is imperative for my health that I continue to work with my doctors to ensure my foot heals properly. This decision, though heavy on my heart, is the right one. I am praying for a healthy recovery and I promise my Aussie fans and my fans around the world that I will be back better than ever as soon as I can be.

As you can see, the actual moment Serena will finally come back to competitive tennis is still absolutely unknown.

28 COMMENTS

  1. I think this is getting ridiculous. She got that injury waaay back in July, how come it’s still a problem? I think this withdraw is more a thing of her not being 100% procent fit enough, which for Serena obviously means not being able to win the Aussie open again. And, oh, I truly believe she’ll be back better than ever. :/

  2. I really don’t like this whole thing Serena’s making out of her injury.She’s constantly saying she’ll be ready, and then,ooops,she’s not recovered yet,dear fans, please wait a little longer and your tennis queen will be ready and show once again she’s the one and only world number one!I can already see Serena winning tournaments when she comes back months from now and saying how it was soooo hard, how she had such a difficult time,but she managed to battle through.I think she’s just taking time to get back on top form because for her, as it seems to me, tennis is or winning titles or not competing at all.And that’s not either champion either sport spirit.I mean, I find Serena quite interesting person out the court, but her on court and about tennis behavior is form me unacceptable for a tennis great’s as she is. It’s just hard for me to actually believe it needs that much time to recover from cut on a glass, no matter how complicated it was, some players had much,much serious injuries and they got back in months.

  3. she is lazy thats all and if her sponsors threaten to take her endorsements,she will be back in a hurry.She is just a drama queen and doesnt fully exploit her potential..just a lazy fatass

  4. Good point about the sponsors, I do agree. I think their patience must be quite stretched by now. And I would add organisers of the smaller WTA tournies to that list.

  5. I’m so sad! This is very bad news! I’m from Adelaide and go to the Aussie Open every year, have met Serena before even (along with other players) Its going to be a very different championship with out her!

    PS. Marija, just wondering about a post from a while ago, the win the signed photos post? Picking the winner for Doha? Just wondering if you had picked the lucky winners yet?

  6. I would agree with Fyoto this time. Fyoto, is this the first time we agree? Serena is just lazy, I don’t believe she tried so hard to recover and didn’t manage.

    Sam, very good question about the autograph winners! 🙂 No, I haven’t picked them yet. I’ll go to Bosnia today and I’m planning to shoot a video there. So that’s when I’ll pick the winners. Just like Serena, I’ve been lazy. 😛 But don’t worry, of course I haven’t forgotten about it.

  7. Hey Marine noo! 😀 It’s just that I myself wanted to change the way I announce winners, and I decided to shoot a video instead of just announcing the winners in a written way. I will draw papers from a hat or something. That’s all. And I’m going to Bosnia with a friend, just for fun. We’ll have a camera so we’ll try to shoot a video. Nothing glamorous. 😀

  8. Thanks, Sam. I will. It will be rural/good food tourism. 🙂 You have pretty high chances to win one of the autographs, as only 11 have qualified and 2 of them will win the award.

  9. uh no way! that is so stupid. Serena is thinking about her career, not about sponsors. even if that were true, serena is a multi-millionarie, losing sponsors would mean nothing to her

  10. I see, Marija! Well, you’ve made a little career for yourself already as a blogger-journalist so I thought this was another step to stardom :-). A video would be a nice change, maybe you can start video-blogging as well :0)
    And one day, you never know, maybe you’ll get one of you big tennis stars to do an interview for us. It would be cool! Anyway, come to think of it, you are doing them a favour drawing more fans to womens tennis.

  11. Remember when Sharapova was out after shoulder surgery, and it seemed every week she was announcing that she would return to tournaments only to withdraw a few days before those tournaments began? Everyone’s reaction was “oh, poor Maria, she’s not ready yet. The tour needs her so badly. Let’s wish her the best she can still win slams!!!”

    It’s interesting that in a similar situation of another WTA player the response is drastically different.

  12. Ohh our camera seems to be dying. We put recharged batteries and it was blinking as if they were empty and then it shut down. 😛 I’ll buy new batteries today and we’ll try to shoot the video again (“we” is me and my friend). If it doesn’t work again, I’ll have to get back to my old-fashioned method. 😛 Video blogging, I’ve been thinking about it, but I’m kind of not ready for that yet. 😛

    Ella, it’s because the nature of Serena’s injury is still mysterious and questionable. Many people are doubting the real reasons behind her withdrawals.

  13. Maybe Serena should stop announcing her return and we will be positively surprised :-D. Well…I know that it is impossible. Organizers of tournaments are looking forward to see her name on the entry list – there is no better commercial for the tournament than Serena’s return. But she is on a tour for a long time and her bones are tired and she is probably get bored . Then again…maybe injury is serious. Who knows?

  14. Marija, how is it so mysterious? Serena played the exhibition in Belgium a little after she got the cuts on her foot in Munich, and Kim Clijsters had a look at them; she herself said they were bad and she appreciated that Serena played anyway. After Serena got back to America she went to have her doctor examine it and she got stitches, however, she had to get them re-done and had a droopy big toe (which would greatly affect her balance) so she decided to have surgery on that (but not with her regular doctor). She was trying to come back in time but she wasn’t healed properly and aggravated her foot even more, leading her to withdraw from the new season even before it begins.

    People on this site always talk about how Serena only cares about playing slams and now look, she withdrew months before the first one’s even here. You would think that she would just start playing a week before the Australian Open and then only play that and then “fake” another injury to sit out other tournaments, like so many people on this site like to believe. She was heavily bandaged at this year’s Australian final and people sSTILL believe she was “faking it”, even though she’s had RECONSTRUCTIVE surgery on her knee and thigh muscle pull on both legs; yet, Sharapova’s shoulder situation was just as “mysterious”-one minute she’s “ready to play” and then days before a tournament: “I have to withdraw, shoulder still sore” and no one was crying “foul” then. Again, why so different? It’s interesting how people on here handle their “cute, white” players and talk differently about Venus and Serena, it’s one of the reasons I rarely visit this site anymore. and please, don’t say “because Serena doesn’t credit her opponent” because that’s a lame excuse and if that’s the only reason you doubt her you should try harder to hide your racism, or maybe you just started watching tennis yesterday. I’d like to know what pro tennis player plays a match where they can’t even move their feet (not wheelchair players of course).

  15. Ella, why is it that whenever someone says something even slightly questioning or against Serena, people sooner or later attack them for being racists? I think that I am among people that are more on Serena’s side than not. I think she has celebrity status and enjoys it to the full, she gives herself the right to do things lower-rate players can’t and she can get away with it which is ok (she’s earned it and now she uses it).

    I said mysterious because of articles such as this one: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/sports/tennis/27araton.html (I read a similar one, but I can’t find it now)

  16. Oh im sure Ana ivanovic will be delighted and so will many of the WTP GIRLS.
    Get well soon babe, we’ll miss you and im confident you will be back ” better than ever”

  17. Oh im sure Ana ivanovic will be delighted and so will many of the WTP GIRLS.
    Get well soon babe, we’ll miss you and im confident you will be back ” better than ever”

  18. Serena Williams is the best tennis player today. It is a dissapointment she will not be able to participate. However, I would not want her playing if she cannot give 100%. Some people may think she is lazy, does not care about the sport, and calling her a names. You can say what you want but none of those things are Serena. You get to become number 1 by being lazy and not dedicating yourself. People have a lot to learn about what athletes endure today.

  19. Athlete learn how to spell. It is a “disappointment” she will not play in the major. But I do agree, I would not want to see Serena in a tournament if she is injured or out of shape. However she is the number 1 player so whatever reason it is she has earned the right to take time off to make sure she is 100%. I love to watch Serena play as much as the next person, but I want a competitive, healty, grunting after every hit Serena. When she is ready Serena will know and we will see her. So everyone with a negative comment, try to look at it from her side as well, people need to quit being so subjective and try to understand from her perspective.

  20. Tennis is not tennis without the Williams sisters especially Serena. Serena please come back and play. We miss you. Are you not playing in 2011? If not why not? Train and regain your position – you cannot let the World down Serena. We are all counting on you – I am an 84 year Black woman from Guyana, South America. I first heard about you and Venus from my Sister-in-law who called me one night and told me, you must watch these two sisters playing tennis, and I did. This was way back when before you started to play tennis. Don’t let us down Serena. Come back.

  21. Tennis is not tennis without the Williams sisters especially Serena. Serena please come back and play. We miss you. Are you not playing in 2011? If not why not? Train and regain your position – you cannot let the World down Serena. We are all counting on you – I am an 84 year Black woman from Guyana, South America. I first heard about you and Venus from my Sister-in-law who called me one night and told me, you must watch these two sisters playing tennis, and I did. This was way back when before you started to play tennis. Don’t let us down Serena. Come back.

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