'Super close' Serena out of Australian Open
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Defending champion Serena Williams pulled out of the Australian Open on Friday, saying she was "super close" but still not at the level she needs to be after giving birth to her first child.
The American 23-time Grand Slam winner made a tentative return at an Abu Dhabi exhibition late last month, losing to French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Prior to that her last competitive match was at the Australian Open final almost a year ago, which she won despite being two months pregnant, memorably beating sister Venus in the decider.
Since then, she has given birth to her first child and married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian at a star-studded wedding, where guests included Beyonce and reality TV star Kim Kardashian.
"After competing in Abu Dhabi I realised that although I am super close, I'm not where I personally want to be," the 36-year-old said in a statement.
