Dec 21 (Reuters) - Karolina Muchova, a semi-finalist at the 2021 Australian Open, has withdrawn from next year"s tournament, the Czech world number 32 said in a statement on Tuesday. The 25-year-old, who made the last four of a major for the first time and broke into the top 20 this year, hasn"t played due to injury following a first-round loss at the U.S. Open in September. "I"m sad to announce that my 2022 season will not start in Australia. I"m doing all I can to get back on the court as soon as I"m able," Muchova wrote on Twitter. Muchova is the latest player to pull out of the Jan. 17-30 Australian Open, with Jennifer Brady, Karolina Pliskova, Serena Williams and Bianca Andreescu also ruled out of the year"s first major.