TENNIS : SERENA WILLIAMS IS OUT OF THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN !

TENNIS : SERENA WILLIAMS IS OUT OF THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN !

Queen Of Tennis Serena Williams @SerenaWilliams is unable to defend her crown at the Australian Open @AustralianOpen, this year.

23-Time Grand Slam Champion Serena - - fresh from her maternity off - - came back to tennis barely 4 moths after giving birth, testing the waters in Abu Dhabi last week, but now has decided to pull out of the 2018 Australian Open saying she is not yet "where she personally wants to be".

The 2018 Australian Open - - first of the Grand Slams in the calendar year - - kickstarts 15 January, where Serena Williams is the Women's Defending Champion.

"Only go to tournaments when you are prepared to go all the way", said Williams citing her coaching team's mantra, while expressing her own disappointment in her decision to withdraw.

Serena Williams became the first woman - - alongside with 2017 French Open Champion Jelena Ostapenko - - to play at Abu Dhabi's Mubadala World Tennis Championship, last week.

Mubadala World Tennis Championship has been an all-male tennis event since its inception in 2009, until Serena Williams and Jelena Ostapenko set foot on the tournament's ground.

It was Serena's first appearance on court since her pregnancy.

Serena Williams won the 2017 Australian Open in January of last year - - her 23rd Grand Slam Crown - - while eight weeks pregnant.

She gave birth to her first baby, Olympia, on 01 September, 2017.

Two months later, Serena Williams married Alexis Ohanian @AlexisOhanian, founder of web giant Reddit, and the father of her baby daughter, Olympia.

RELATED STORY: SERENA WILLIAMS TO MAKE HISTORIC COMEBACK BARELY 4 MONTHS AFTER BABY BIRTH ; BECOMES FIRST WOMAN TO PLAY AT ABU DHABI'S WORLD TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP !

RELATED STORY: SERENA WILLIAMS TIES THE KNOT !

RELATED STORY: VENUS WILLIAMS ESCAPES POTENTIAL JAIL OVER FATAL CAR CRASH !

Serena Williams won't be defending her Australian Open title after the American withdrew from the first grand slam of the 2018 season, saying she needs "more time" after giving birth last year https://t.co/oUSSRZ61Ar pic.twitter.com/5qUJkDWBvq
— CNN (@CNN) January 5, 2018

.@serenawilliams withdraws from Australian Open https://t.co/9g6GlCoZEN
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 5, 2018

Defending champion Serena Williams withdraws from the Australian Open: "I will need a little more time" https://t.co/LlWJaF5Usp
— TIME (@TIME) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams won't be defending her Australian Open crown in Melbourne: https://t.co/CaWLZSKo50 pic.twitter.com/adtOgaBqaG
— CNN Sport (@cnnsport) January 5, 2018

Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a little longer to see @serenawilliams return to action. The defending champion has pulled out of the Australian Open, citing the need for a bit more time before coming back to the tour. Sending her our best and eagerly awaiting her return! _ #USOpen #serenawilliams #tennis #grandslam #instatennis #tennisnews #ustennis
A post shared by US Open (@usopen) on Jan 4, 2018 at 5:42pm PST

Serena Williams won't be defending her Australian Open title after the American withdrew from the first grand slam of the 2018 season, saying she needs "more time" after giving birth last year https://t.co/XJ19bGnvaw pic.twitter.com/m6Lobf9Cdp
— CNN International (@cnni) January 5, 2018

Unfortunately @serenawilliams has withdrawn from the #AusOpen.

"I can compete – but I don’t want to just compete, I want to do far better than that and to do so, I will need a little more time."

Good luck for the rest of 2018, Serena! We'll miss you 😊
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams announced her withdrawal from the Australian Open https://t.co/pbmTRfs6Sy
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams withdraws from Australian Open: “...I'm not where I personally want to be." pic.twitter.com/ptKqkI9gm5
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 5, 2018

The Australian Open has come too soon for Serena Williams.

She has withdrawn from the competition.

Full story 👉 https://t.co/hEY8mKr88x pic.twitter.com/eW2ovydDu6
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams to miss Australian Open https://t.co/4DUR8cKWZn pic.twitter.com/4c5ma6Snkn
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams will not play at the Australian Open.

What does her withdrawal mean for the tournament?

Read👉https://t.co/hEY8mKr88x pic.twitter.com/ZEoZISWYik
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams will not defend her Australian Open title.

Four months after giving birth she’s “not where I personally want to be.” pic.twitter.com/BO5Gj14CNd
— BBC Tennis (@bbctennis) January 5, 2018

.@serenawilliams announces withdrawal from @AustralianOpen.

Read full statement --> https://t.co/QJycmXSq5e pic.twitter.com/qIkN6jUwqN
— WTA (@WTA) January 5, 2018

“My coach and team always said ‘Only go to tournaments when you are prepared to go all the way'" https://t.co/i1f8Hs093k
— New York Post (@nypost) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams: “I’m not where I personally want to be” https://t.co/TIQ5D2F802
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) January 5, 2018

"After performing in my first match after giving birth I realized that although I am super close I'm not where I personally want to be." https://t.co/C5DwYcVsJE
— E! News (@enews) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams withdraws from the #AusOpen...

FULL STORY: https://t.co/02kpV8dcue pic.twitter.com/UYNrroka8B
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) January 5, 2018

Defending champion Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open, saying she is not ready to return to tournament tennis https://t.co/xc36KUTxEj pic.twitter.com/nUOglgjhZr
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams Withdraws From Australian Open https://t.co/CGWWGyNUQb
— TMZ (@TMZ) January 5, 2018

"I am super close but I’m not where I personally want to be..."

Serena Williams has issued a statement that she will not be defending her title in Melbourne this year as she has officially withdrawn from the Australian Open.https://t.co/afpiQHIFNN

📸: #USOpen pic.twitter.com/eHrc7JYKnS
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) January 5, 2018

"After performing in my first match after giving birth I realized that although I am super close I'm not where I personally want to be." https://t.co/l7R9MrIJ03
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open https://t.co/iOxyrr47Af pic.twitter.com/w53RbLkwO4
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams pulls out of the Australian Open - 'Although I am super close, I'm not where I want to be' https://t.co/wv4IczP5DC
— Telegraph Sport (@TelegraphSport) January 5, 2018

No Australia Open for Defending Champion Serena Williams https://t.co/Qdm6YGUbum pic.twitter.com/0tYYdWZU3B
— The Voice of America (@VOANews) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams pulls out of Australian Open: 'I'm not where I want to be' — via @BIAUS https://t.co/tT3iX2GOGE pic.twitter.com/MERmNOfLtg
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) January 5, 2018

Even the GOAT needs time to recoverhttps://t.co/tKY4u3EoQy
— BET (@BET) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams says she’s not ready to play in the Australian Open https://t.co/CEcOfaguTf
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Openhttps://t.co/Y5nJT1dxqG pic.twitter.com/Oc3JPuMNUu
— Indy Sport (@IndySport) January 5, 2018

Defending champion Serena Williams has pulled out of the upcoming @AustralianOpen.https://t.co/zVVdw9lYGz
— Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) January 5, 2018

BREAKING NEWS: Serena Williams will not compete in the upcoming Australian Open. “After competing in Abu Dhabi I realized that although I am super close, I’m not where I personally want to be,” said the 23-time Grand Slam champion.

More to come.
— TENNIS.com (@Tennis) January 5, 2018

😑 Serena #Williams pulls out from the @AustralianOpen 😑 The 2017 Champion is not in a good shape enough to defend her title. pic.twitter.com/v52lZTwITo
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) January 5, 2018

Say what?! It looks like @SerenaWilliams has withdrawn from the Australian Open! https://t.co/9G456pbMQ0 pic.twitter.com/A9r1HRjkgh
— HollywoodLife (@HollywoodLife) January 5, 2018

Defending champion Serena Williams withdraws from Australian Openhttps://t.co/aour5eNKag pic.twitter.com/9HqDRaEJq4
— NY Daily News Sports (@NYDNSports) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open, saying she is not quite ready to compete at the highest level after giving birth to her daughter in September. https://t.co/OUmTFNgXwJ
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) January 5, 2018

Can't wait for her comeback 🙏 https://t.co/xXG2WU0fdy
— Teen Vogue (@TeenVogue) January 5, 2018

.@serenawilliams pulls out of the Australian Open: "I'm not where I personally want to be." https://t.co/jtv0SzZZ6K pic.twitter.com/hD6174sGz6
— Perez Hilton (@PerezHilton) January 5, 2018

New mom and defending champ Serena Williams withdraws from Australian Open https://t.co/EVMZTJQPmi pic.twitter.com/1gnjaRKgj9
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open https://t.co/EbGCvhhzem
— The Independent (@Independent) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams is likely to make her professional return at the BNP Paribas Open in March, and to return to Grand Slam competition at the French Open in May. https://t.co/2n3G5kCBF5
— NYT Sports (@NYTSports) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams won't defend her Australian Open title. https://t.co/Hr2Rktoxlw
— espnW (@espnW) January 5, 2018

The decision did not come easily or quickly for Williams. https://t.co/3ly6zPc8rX
— Bravotv (@Bravotv) January 5, 2018

.@Phil_Coutinho saga rolls on, @22mosalah named Africa's best, @serenawilliams withdraws from #AusOpen and more... English News is now on 📺 HD11. pic.twitter.com/ptzsEpnubt
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) January 5, 2018

Serena Williams Withdraws from the Australia Openhttps://t.co/ndUvjdesfP pic.twitter.com/r2ocoGmDZf
— Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan) January 5, 2018

“At the end of the day, women need to support each other.” @SerenaWilliams gets it! LIFT UP OTHER WOMEN 👏 #NewYearsRevolutions pic.twitter.com/INsPa6M899
— MAKERS (@MAKERSwomen) January 1, 2018

My final top 10 moment of 2017. Of course includes @olympiaohanian they say save the best for… https://t.co/C3aT8CyRe2
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) December 31, 2017

“At the end of the day, women need to support each other.” Serena Williams gets it! We've revamped the old resolutions with our 2018 New Year's REVOLUTIONS. At the top of our list: LIFT UP OTHER WOMEN ✊️
Posted by MAKERS on Monday, 1 January 2018

@serenawilliams is encouraged by the early stages of her comeback, but has unfortunately pulled out of the @australianopen because she wants “a little more time” to get back to Grand Slam winning form. Wish Serena good luck for the rest of 2018 and give her some ❤️ if you’re ready to see her compete later this year! #usta #ustennis #serenawilliams #serena #australianopen #tennis #protennis #instatennis #instasports
A post shared by USTA (@usta) on Jan 4, 2018 at 5:38pm PST

My final top 10 moment of 2017. Of course includes @olympiaohanian they say save the best for last. I could not choose so I just choose 10 random videos. They all were so cute to me 🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️
A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) on Dec 31, 2017 at 7:49am PST

I’m quickly finding out that new moms need more sleep than most. My @TempurPedic relieves pressure points at night so I’m not tossing and turning, leaving me refreshed and ready to go the next day. #ThisSleepIsPower #ad
A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) on Dec 20, 2017 at 5:56am PST

This year has been amazing for me. As it comes to its end I want to share 10 personal moments. 1. The day I found out I was pregnant. I had to pretend I everything was normal but I was dying inside. After all I had a grand slam to play. 2. Melbourne 7 weeks pregnant 3. Wow I won the Australian Open. I was 9 weeks by than. No one knew outside of venus and my fiancé Alexis 4. Everyone got me stuffed animals for my bridal shower. 5. 24 weeks. 6. bridal shower by @thevlvgroup 7. still hitting at 7.5 weeks 8. @vanityfair cover of the year for me 9. Just about ready to pop 10. The day before I checked into hospital to have my amazing baby
A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) on Dec 29, 2017 at 3:39pm PST

A peek of my pregnancy journey. What a year this ishas been a baby a grand slam and a husband. Wow
Posted by Serena Williams on Friday, 29 December 2017