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The 2022 Australian Open will be the first edition of the Melbourne Slam since 1997 to feature neither Serena nor Venus Williams.
World No. 318 Venus Williams will not be traveling Down Under to compete at the season's opening Grand Slam, according to the Herald Sun. That will end her streak of nine consecutive appearances at Melbourne Park.
Her sister, Serena Williams, pulled out of the tournament last month, saying she has not fully recovered from the hamstring injury she sustained at Wimbledon.
Both Serena and Venus made their Australian Open debuts in 1998, reaching the second round and quarterfinals respectively. While Serena has missed a total of five editions of the Australian Open, including 2022, Venus has been absent on only four occasions. 2022 will mark the first time their absences overlap.
Since Venus Williams failed to secure direct entry into the main draw or a spot in the qualifiers because of her ranking, the only way she could have played at Melbourne Park was if she had been handed a wildcard. However, the Herald Sun reported that a young Australian player will be handed the spot in Venus' stead.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion has never won the Australian Open, although she did finish as runner-up twice. She made the final in 2017, but ended up losing to sister Serena in straight sets. Her other finals appearance came way back in 2003, when she lost to Serena in three sets.
Venus does, however, have four women's doubles titles at the Australian Open, all with her sister. The former World No. 1 also has one mixed doubles title to her name.
Venus Williams has been out of action since August
Venus Williams' last match of 2021 came at the WTA 250 Chicago Open, where she lost to Hsieh Su-wei in the Round of 32. She then pulled out of the US Open and cut her season short due to a leg injury.
Even before the injury, the American's season was shaping up to be a disappointing one. The 41-year-old exited Roland Garros in the first round and did not make it past the second round at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
The 2022 Australian Open was expected to be the stage for her return to competitive tennis, but that will not be the case.
Venus Williams and Father Richard recall one match that 7-time Grand Slam champion "should have won"
