Williams Pulls Out of Auckland

Written by: Staff on 20th December 2011

Williams Pulls Out of Auckland |

The ASB Classic in Auckland has been dealt a blow after its star attraction withdrew.

Venus Williams was to have made her debut in the event that kicks off the 2012 season in the first week of January, but after competing in a number of exhibition matches in the last few weeks the 31-year old has revealed that she is not yet healthy enough to return to competition.

Williams has been receiving treatment for Sjogren’s syndrome and has not played an official event since defaulting her second round match at the US Open, and she is currently ranked outside of the top 100.

“We are disappointed to have lost a player of her caliber,” said tournament director Richard Palmer. “While withdrawals of this nature are part and parcel of sport, we sincerely feel for the fans who will also be disappointed by the news of Venus’ withdrawal.”

Palmer is still delighted with what he describes as one of the strongest fields in the tournament’s history, which includes top seed Sabine Lisicki, former number one Svetlana Kuznetsova, Peng Shuai and Flavia Pennetta.

Topics: Venus Williams