Defending champion Serena Williams has withdrawn from the 2018 Australian Open.
"After competing in Abu Dhabi I realized that although I am super close, I'm not where I personally want to be," Williams said.
"My coach and team always said 'only go to tournaments when you are prepared to go all the way'. I can compete – but I don't want to just compete, I want to do far better than that and to do so, I will need a little more time.
![Serena Williams from the U.S. reacts in an exhibition match against Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia during the final day of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi. Photo /AP.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/3EWDQOUPVEUC7OUFGRVI3O2TP4.jpg?auth=5fc645600723daa6cd4aef3950affeb74a704791668a49b43f04631213d940d7&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
"With that being said, and even though I am disappointed about it, I've decided not to compete in the Australian Open this year.