Venus Williams will miss the Australian Open due to injury

First Amendment: 01/08/2023 – 03:12Last update: 01/08/2023 – 03:10

Venus Williams, 42, has received an invitation to participate in the Australian Open which begins January 16 in Melbourne. © William West/AFP

Melbourne (AFP) – Melbourne Grand Slam organizers have announced that veteran American tennis player Venus Williams will miss the Australian Open after suffering an injury at the Auckland Classic preparatory tournament in New Zealand.

The 42-year-old had accepted an invitation to her first major tournament of the year, a tournament she first played in 1998 and is a two-time finalist, both of whom were defeated by her sister Serena.

“Venus Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open tennis tournament due to an injury sustained at the ASB (Auckland) Classic in New Zealand,” the official Oceanic Grand Slam Twitter account reported on Saturday.

Australian Kim Pearl will take her place in the draw.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion lost in the round of 16 in Auckland against China’s Zhou Lin (6-3, 2-6, 5-7).

The Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on January 16, will be without the world number one for men, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who announced his withdrawal on Friday due to an injury to his right leg.