Serena Williams has announced that she will not be defending her title at the Australian Open. Serena beat sister Venus in the 2017 final in Melbourne, and later revealed that she was pregnant while competing in the tournament.

The 36-year-old gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia in September, and returned to the court in an exhibition match against Jelena Ostapenko in Abu Dhabi at the end of December.

In a statement on Snapchat, she wrote: "After performing in my first match after giving birth I realised that although I am super close I'm not where I personally want to be."

Agencies