Venus Williams has decided to skip the rest of the season, TENNIS.com has learned. Williams, who reached the semifinals of Tokyo in September and also played last week in Beijing, where she lost in her opening match, was considering defending her title next week in Luxembourg but decided to shut it down instead.
The 33-year-old has been contending with a back injury as well as battling the autoimmune disease Sjögren’s syndrome. She is currently ranked No. 38, so it is likely that she will be unseeded at the 2014 Australian Open.