Serena Williams exits Australian Open: ‘I’m not where I want to be’

The tennis great says she's needs more time after giving birth in September

The tennis great says she's needs more time after giving birth in September

Serena Williams Mubadala World Tennis Championship - Day Three thegrio.com
(Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)

Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open.

The tennis great said on Thursday that she didn’t feel she was ready to compete at that level just yet after having a baby in September.

‘I’m not where I want to be’

“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,” she wrote on social media.

“My coach and team always said ‘Only go to tournaments when you are prepared to go all the way,'” she added.

Williams competed in her first tennis match since giving birth just last month. She played an exhibition match against Latvian player Jelena Ostapenko at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.

But Williams said that she would be back at the Australian Open once she was back up to snuff.

In the meantime, she and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, will probably keep putting up adorable videos of their daughter, Alexis Olympia. And we’re fine with that.

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