Venus Williams withdraws from Australian Open 2023 citing injury after ASB Classic, Emma Raducanu situation continues to be monitored

Venus Williams needs to wait to play her first Grand Slam in the post-Serena Williams era as the former World No. 1 has been forced to withdraw from the 2023 Australian Open due to an injury.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion was in Auckland, New Zealand, for the ASB Classic, warming up for the opening Slam of the year. After winning her opener against Katie Volynets in straight sets, Williams fell to Lin Zhu in a tight three-setter in the second round in a rain-delayed encounter.

From there, the American was supposed to go to Melbourne, but news emerged today that she had injured herself during her time in Auckland, putting her participation in the Melbourne Major in doubt. Sadly, that was confirmed by Australian Open officials soon after, as the tournament's official Twitter handle revealed that Venus Williams had indeed withdrawn from the event.

With the wildcard freed up, Australia's Kim Birrell has entered the main draw in the 42-year-old's place.

Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu, who also sustained an injury at the ASB Classic when she rolled her ankle against Viktoria Kuzmova in the second round, now has more suspicion focusing on her own participation at the Australian Open.

After the match ended in tears for the Brit, having been forced to retire ahead of the third set, Raducanu placed the blame squarely on the slippery courts in Auckland, criticizing the organization for allowing it to happen.

"It’s difficult to take. I’ve put a lot of physical work in the last few months and I’ve been feeling good and optimistic. So to be stopped by a freak injury, rolling an ankle is pretty disappointing, in the first week as well," Raducanu said.

"The courts are incredibly slick, like very slippery, so to be honest it’s not a surprise that this happened to someone. I thought maybe certain aspects could have been organized better," she added.

At the time, the former US Open champion had hoped to be ready in time for the first Slam of the year, stating that her team would assess her injury in the coming days and then decide.

“We’ll assess over the next few days and make a plan,” Raducanu said.

Venus Williams to miss second Australian Open in a row for the first time in her career

Venus Williams at the 2023 ASB Women's Classic

Venus Williams is now set to miss her second Australian Open in a row, having missed the 2022 edition as well due to injury. This marks the first time ever the seven-time Grand Slam champion has skipped back-to-back editions of the tournament in her career so far.

Williams' best results at Melbourne Park have been runner-up finishes in 2003 and 2017. Since her most recent appearance in the final, she has had a poor run, reaching only the third round at best (2019).