Venus Williams joins Serena in not playing the Australian Open

Venus Williams announced on Friday that she will not play the Australian Open. This marks the first time since 1997 that the Happy Slam will be without both Venus and Serena. In early December, younger sister Serena revealed she's still dealing with her right hamstring injury and will not be Down Under in 2022.

Venus has only missed three Australian Opens since her 1998 debut, most recently in 2012 as she battled an auto-immune disease. Venus played less than ten tournaments in 2021—with her last match at Chicago's WTA 250 event in August. She has seen her ranking drop to No. 318 and would have required a wild card to gain entry into Australia.

Meanwhile, Serena hasn't competed since retiring from her Wimbledon opener this summer. Her ranking took a slight hit and she is currently ranked No. 41.

"While this is never an easy decision to make, I am not where I need to be physically to compete. Melbourne is one of my favorite cities to visit and I look forward to playing at the AO every year. I will miss seeing the fans, but am excited to return and compete at my highest level," Serena told ESPN in December.

Venus recently enjoyed a trip to Paris and perhaps did a little too much shopping that resulted in pure exhaustion according to the former No.1.

"It was just too much shopping....I'm exhausted. However I will stay strong and carry on," she jokingly wrote on her Instagram story.