Australian Open 2012: Why Tourney Will Miss Venus Williams' Star Power

With so few formidable American players, the absence of any is a major blow, but one of Venus Williams' stature is a huge blow to the field. An illness is forcing Williams to withdraw from the Australian Open.

Venus hopes to compete in February with the help of a vegan diet to help treat the Sjogren's Syndrome she has. It has cost her tournaments in the past, but she hopes to have a handle on it moving forward.

Tracking the progress of both Venus and Serena Williams is almost like watching Tiger Woods' progress in a tournament. The Williams sisters bring a level of interest for the casual fan. They are one of three females on the tour that qualify as global stars, Maria Sharapova being the other.

Without Venus Williams the tournament is lacking some major star power. Williams is an exciting player that plays an appealing style with powerful serves and a aggressive style near the net. Her absence represents one less giant name for the up and comers to aim for as well.

The women's bracket just pales in comparison to the men's draw that has 99 of the top 100 players in the field. Six of the top-seven women in the world are in action. Serena Williams is ranked 12th in the world and seeded as such in the tournament. Usually, the Grand Slam tournaments carry the possibility of an All-Williams final. That of course, will not be possible this time.

Without Venus, the American hopes fall almost squarely on the shoulders of Serena. Serena is one of two American woman in action that is currently ranked in the top 50 in the world. Needless to say, any other American woman that is still alive after Round 4 would be a huge surprise.

As the Williams sisters' careers winds down, the inactivity decreases their chances of being successful. They are only playing majors at this point, and their conditioning as well as their overall health can be impediments for them.

Hopefully Venus can be healthy for the remainder of the year so she can compete at the highest level possible.

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