Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka has withdrawn just eight days before the start of the tournament.
Osaka is ranked outside the worlds top 40 after playing a limited schedule over the last 12 months. The four-time Major winner has also struggled with injuries which halted her progress during 2022, including in Tokyo in her home country.
No reason has been given yet for Osaka’s withdrawal. The Japanese star took a break from tennis in 2021 to preserve her mental health, after suffering from ‘long bouts of depression’ since becoming a Grand Slam champion in 2018.
Osaka has struggled to rediscover her finest form since late 2021, with an achilles injury stunting her progress in 2022. She withdrew from Wimbledon citing the injury before suffering an opening round defeat at the US Open. That defeat was Osaka’s first ever opening round loss at a hard court Major.
Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska will take Osaka’s place in the draw for the opening Major of the season.
Osaka joins a long list of notable absentees at this year’s Australian Open. The most successful active WTA player, Venus Williams, also withdrew earlier this week. The seven-time Major winner suffered an injury during the ASB Classic in Auckland.
On the women’s side, the tournament is also likely to miss Simona Halep, as she is still awaiting further news on her ban for testing positive for the prohibited substance, Roxadustat. Emma Raducanu is also a doubt for the tournament after rolling her ankle earlier this week in Auckland.
Men’s world number one Carlos Alcaraz will also miss the tournament after aggravating an injury during pre-season training.
The tournament gets underway on Monday 16th January, with qualifying beginning tomorrow, featuring the likes of Eugenie Bouchard, Linda Noskova and Heather Watson.
