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Williams has bowed out on advisement from her medical staff.

The next Australian Open tennis tournament is set to run from January 17 to January 30, 2022. The list of participants has been released, and we can see some of the usual suspects like Ash Barty and Naomi Osaka. However, fans quickly noted a conspicuous absence from the player list: Grand Slam champion and long time Australian Open competitor Serena Williams. Unfortunately, this omission was no accident, as Williams herself confirmed in a public statement.

“Following the advice of my medical team, I have decided to withdraw from this year’s Australian Open,” she said. “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 at the AO every year. I will miss seeing the fans, but am excited to return and compete at my highest level.”

All our love, @serenawilliams 💙

Come back stronger 💪 #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/HrrG1FFILF

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) December 8, 2021

During the most recent Wimbledon tourney, Williams was forced to bow out of her opening-round match due to a hamstring injury, and has not appeared in any WTA games since. Williams currently holds the highest number of Grand Slam victories among any active tennis player, only one below the current record holder, Margaret Court. However, fans have begun to worry that Williams’ days on the court are numbered, and that we may not see her exceed Court’s record.