Written by By Bethany Bell, CNN
Tennis superstar Serena Williams has withdrawn from the 2019 Australian Open due to an injury, she announced on her social media accounts on Tuesday.
“After recent testing, the news isn’t good… I will not be playing in this year’s Australian Open because I am still recovering from my recent surgery,” the 36-year-old wrote.
Williams had been expected to defend her WTA singles crown after her triumph at the 2018 tournament in Melbourne. However she decided to take a medical leave earlier this year in October to have foot surgery for a problem that plagued her throughout 2018, according to her management.
Also included in the post was a short video clip of her foot in a walking boot.
The last time Williams was at the Australian Open, it was the year before her Flushing Meadows win. Since her triumph in New York, Williams has won Wimbledon and has set a goal of reaching the end of 2018 with a Calendar Grand Slam.
Williams is presently pregnant.
Williams isn’t the only prominent athlete to pull out of upcoming events this year.
In June, Serena’s sister Venus was also forced to cancel her campaign in New Zealand, which had been set to kick off later this month.