The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion had received a wild-card entry into the year’s first major. It would have been her 22nd Grand Slam at Melbourne Park. She has not played at the Australian Open since 2021.
“I’ve been competing in the country for over 20 years now and the Australian community has always supported me wholeheartedly,” she said when granted her wild-card entry.
Williams has struggled with injuries in recent years, but had begun 2023 positively with a win in an Auckland tournament – her first tour-level singles match in a year and a half.
Australian Kim Birrell has been granted a wild-card in place of Williams.
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Every week on Sports Are Fun! presented by Amazon Business, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes on the biggest women's sports headlines.
This week, the Sports Are Fun! crew is joined by retired NWSL star Darian Jenkins. And with the WNBA season tipping off last weekend, women's basketball naturally dominated conversation.
Firstly? The Caitlin Clark flagrant foul heard around the league — and the fallout that subsequently followed it.
"First game that we want to go over is Fever vs. Sky," O'Hara introduced. "Caitlin Clark had a triple-double. Angel Reese had a double-double. And the Fever won. But what everyone's been talking about is the foul that Caitlin Clark committed on Angel."
"The flagrant," corrected BJ.
"Excuse me," O'Hara said. "So Caitlin Clark had a foul on Angel Reese under the basket. It got upgraded to a flagrant one. Aliyah Boston came to her defense, because Reese got up and was kind of going for Caitlin. A lot of chatter around this, and I liked the spice."
"It's the game," Diaz said, jumping in. "It was a basketball play, as they both said. However, it was flagrant. It happens in basketball. I think it was the reaction that we saw on social media that really elevated it."
"This is a rivalry, everyone," quipped BJ. "This rivalry feeds families. We love it."
"She's a spicy player. I love seeing the passion," Jenkins said of Reese. "We should be excited about that, especially in women's sports."
"I feel like it's always, 'We'll play nice, be proper, don't swear,'" she continued. "You never see that in the men's game. They're heated all the time."
"At the end of the day, these are physical players," echoed Diaz. "Caitlin Clark is physical. She was physical last year, she's physical this year. It's a grown woman's game."
Along with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, the Sports Are Fun! hosts additionally cover WNBA tip-off, the surging San Diego Wave, the PHWL Finals, and so much more!
'Sports Are Fun!' condemns allegedly hateful remarks from Indiana fans
The rivalry between second-year WNBA stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese was on full display at the Indiana Fever's opening weekend game against the Chicago Sky. But it was the crowd's response to it that hit a nerve with the Sports Are Fun! hosts.
"It was a foul, flagrant foul, obviously," BJ said. "But I would be remiss if I didn't say that what is unacceptable is the Fever [fans'] behavior — bad statements, bad sportsmanship, bad slandering on Angel."
"There's no space for that sort of behavior," Diaz agreed. "There are kids at that game... It's unacceptable."
"You can you can heckle, we're all for that," O'Hara chimed in. "But if there's somebody saying hateful things, racist things, it's got to be reported."
"Just on a human level. You can be a fan of the game, but you see something wrong, check it," Jenkins said. "These women worked so hard to get where they are. If you're stooping that low, you should not be allowed at a game."
'Sports Are Fun!' places Kelley O'Hara at the intersection of women's sports and fun. (Just Women's Sports)
About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara
'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place.
Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.
From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"
USWNT Roster Strikes a Balance Ahead of Summer Friendlies
This week's 24-player USWNT roster will face China PR and Jamaica in upcoming friendlies. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
Another USWNT roster arrived on Tuesday, with head coach Emma Hayes tapping 24 players for the world No. 1 team's upcoming early summer friendlies against No. 17 China PR and No. 40 Jamaica.
Featuring both mainstays and prospects, the lineup showcases Hayes's interest in developing young standouts while also highlighting returning regulars — and one unexpected favorite.
USWNT staples like Crystal Dunn, Emily Sonnett, Lindsey Heaps, and Lynn Biyendolo are back, balancing out less experienced players like forwards Michelle Cooper and Emma Sears, midfielder Claire Hutton, and defender and first-time call-up Kerry Abello.
One uncapped invitee doesn't fit the US's ongoing youth movement mold, with 32-year-old Kansas City captain and celly queen Lo'eau LaBonta earning her first national team nod.
"First of all, she's deserving of the call-up," Hayes told reporters on Tuesday morning, praising the midfielder's NWSL play. "She’s being consistent in everything that she has done. And with the volume of young players or less experienced players we're bringing in, I think we have to get that balance right."
Angel City sister duo Alyssa and Gisele Thompson also made the cut, with Hayes shifting Gisele from defender to forward ahead of the younger Thompson's possible fourth senior cap.
European club players also returned to the spotlight, with Ajax's Lily Yohannes, Chelsea's Naomi Girma and Catarina Macario, Arsenal's Emily Fox, and Manchester United's Phallon Tullis-Joyce heading to camp alongside Dunn (PSG) and Heaps (OL Lyonnes).
Hayes also noted that former call-ups Jaedyn Shaw (North Carolina), Mia Fishel (Chelsea), and Korbin Albert (PSG) will spend the break with the USWNT U-23 squad, calling time with the youth team "what I felt has been really missing for a lot of players."
Stellar NWSL play has Seattle's Claudia Dickey in the mix for the USWNT goalie gig. (Soobum Im/NWSL via Getty Images)
USWNT goalkeeper competition continues
Tullis-Joyce as well as Utah's Mandy McGlynn and Seattle’s uncapped Claudia Dickey will feature in goal, as the search to replace retired USWNT legend Alyssa Naeher continues.
"The data don't lie — Claudia Dickey's probably the best performing goalkeeper in the NWSL this season," Hayes said of the US newcomer.
Notably, Houston's Jane Campbell will not be joining the team, despite the longtime reserve keeper's 10 caps and six clean sheets for the USWNT.
All in all, Tuesday's roster marks one of Hayes's more diverse lineups, with this window's friendly opponents allowing her the freedom to test out new configurations.
Expect the US boss's next roster to be a bit less experimental, as the stakes will raise with late June's three-match slate against No. 26 Ireland and No. 7 Canada.
Midfielders: Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Lo’eau LaBonta (Kansas City Current), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC), Lily Yohannes (Ajax)
Forwards: Lynn Biyendolo (Seattle Reign FC), Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Catarina Macario (Chelsea FC), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC)
How to watch the upcoming USWNT friendlies
The 24-player USWNT roster will kick off their upcoming friendlies by taking on China PR at 5:30 PM ET on Saturday, May 31st, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Live coverage of the match will air on TBS.
Then on Tuesday, June 3rd, the US will face Jamaica in St. Louis, Missouri, with the 8 PM ET match airing live on TNT.
Dee Lab
May 20, 2025
WNBA Rookie Paige Bueckers Balls Out in Dallas Home-Opener
Bueckers tied the current season-high WNBA rookie single-game scoring mark with 19 points on Monday. (Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)
Dallas rookie Paige Bueckers took charge on Monday, with the 2025 WNBA Draft's No. 1 overall pick proving her worth in the Wings' 79-71 loss to Seattle.
The only Wing to log more than 29 minutes in Monday night's home-opener, Bueckers spent 37 minutes on the Dallas court, tallying a team-leading 19 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and two steals in just her second pro game.
She also joined Mystics newcomer Sonia Citron as the only 2025 rookies to score more than 18 points in a single game so far this season.
On the flip side, 2025's No. 2 pick Dominique Malonga did not feature in the Storm's starting lineup, finishing her night with just one minute of playing time.
The 19-year-old French phenom made the most of her brief appearance with a speedy two points, despite Seattle head coach Noelle Quinn taking a conservative approach to integrating the WNBA's youngest player into the league.
While rookies make headlines, veterans still run the WNBA, with Quinn relying heavily on her experienced starting core to notch Seattle's first victory of 2025.
Leading the Storm was 2016 MVP Nneka Ogwumike with a 23-point, 18-rebound performance — her 110th career double-double — while Skylar Diggins (21 points, nine assists) and Gabby Williams (17 points, five assists, five rebounds) followed closely behind.
"I love how our vets showed up and willed us through possessions," Quinn said after the win. "I think that there's a lot to build and grow from this game."
How to watch WNBA games on Tuesday
The 2025 WNBA season continues at 7 PM ET on Tuesday, when the Atlanta Dream take on the Indiana Fever while the Las Vegas Aces visit the Connecticut Sun.
Ottawa, Minnesota Chase History as Puck Drops on PWHL Finals
Ottawa is the first Canadian team to ever make the PWHL Finals. (Troy Parla/Getty Images)
For the second straight year, the 2025 PWHL Finals are down to the postseason's underdogs, with the No. 3 seed Ottawa Charge and the No. 4 seed Minnesota Frost facing off in the best-of-five championship series after ousting the league's top teams.
Minnesota booked their Finals spot with a 3-1 series victory over No. 2 seed Toronto last Wednesday, before Ottawa ousted top-seeded Montréal by the same series margin on Friday.
While the Frost gear up to defend their 2024 Walter Cup title this week, first-time playoff team Ottawa will aim to make even more history by securing Canada’s first-ever PWHL trophy.
This year's PWHL Finals pits Minnesota's red-hot offense, which netted 18 goals across four semifinal games, against Ottawa's shutdown defense.
Led by rookie goaltender Gwyneth Philips — a 2025 Goaltender of the Year finalist — the Charge allowed just six pucks into the net through four playoff games.
Philips's top save percentage and low 1.14 goals-against average will be put to the test by the Frost, who claim seven of the PWHL's Top-8 postseason players, led by forward Taylor Heise and her seven playoff points.
Either Ottawa or Minnesota will earn the Walter Cup in the 2025 PWHL Finals. (Troy Parla/Getty Images)
How to watch the 2025 PWHL Finals
The puck drops on the 2025 PWHL Finals tonight at 7 PM ET, as Minnesota hits the ice against Ottawa live on YouTube.
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