Serena Still Isn’t Ready

She has been at Laker games and took a turn at a fashion show in Santa Monica. She has made guest TV appearances on cable and NBC, and she recently made news by signing an endorsement deal with Nike.

Serena Williams seemingly has been everywhere in recent months ... but nowhere near a tennis tournament.

That trend will continue for another month, at least. Friday, the defending champion and former top-ranked female player pulled out of the Australian Open, citing a lack of adequate preparation for the first Grand Slam event of the season. She had left knee surgery Aug. 1 and reportedly has been rehabilitating in Los Angeles.

“I really looked forward to competing in the Australian Open,” Williams said in a statement released by her publicist. “However, after conferring with my trainers and coaches, we really don’t think that I’ve had sufficient time to prepare and train for it. My knee feels great, but my rehabilitation took a little longer than I expected. I’m on the courts daily, and look forward to coming back in championship form.”

Hers may not be the only withdrawal by a highly ranked woman for the tournament, which begins Jan. 19 in Melbourne. Kim Clijsters of Belgium, who lost to Williams in the semifinals last year after holding two match points, sprained her ankle this week at the Hopman Cup in Perth and has been on crutches.

Also, two-time Australian Open champion Jennifer Capriati pulled out of a recent exhibition in Hong Kong because of an back ailment.

Williams’ absence will make No. 1 Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium an even heavier favorite. Henin-Hardenne, who won the French Open and U.S. Open in 2003, is seeking her first Australian Open title.

Another beneficiary could be Williams’ older sister, Venus, who lost to Serena in the Australian Open final last year.

Venus, like Serena, has not played in an official tournament since reaching the Wimbledon final in July, where she lost to Serena. Venus had been plagued by an abdominal strain but is expected to appear in Melbourne. Despite her long absence, Venus will be seeded No. 3 at the Australian Open, which announced Friday that it had accepted a special seeding recommendation for her from the Women’s Tennis Assn.

Though she’d said in November that her plan was to return in Melbourne, Serena’s withdrawal from the Australian Open was anticipated after she’d pulled out of the Hopman Cup. It would have been difficult for her to play in a Grand Slam after six months without having played a tournament or exhibition. Williams, 22, has won six Grand Slam singles titles, including the 2003 Australian Open and Wimbledon.