The upcoming Australian Open has been overshadowed by a series of injury worries ranging from Serena Williams knee to Nick Kyrgios’ foot. As the first Grand Slam of 2016 approaches, here is a summary of the extent of the player injuries.
Women
Serena Williams – Knee
Serena Williams started 2016 by withdrawing from the Hopman Cup due to a knee injury. The official reason was due to ‘inflammation in her left knee’. It was confirmed last year by her coach that that part of Williams knee cartilage was gone. Nevertheless, the 33-year-old has stated that she will be fully fit for next week.
“My body is feeling great now,” Williams said.
“Obviously I had a hiccup, but right now it is doing much better. I’ve had a few days of training so it’s looking good.”
Full story –What Injury? Serena Williams Reassures Her Fitness Ahead Of The Australian Open
Maria Sharapova – Forearm
Maria Sharapova experienced a scare last week when she withdrew from Brisbane due to a forearm injury. It was the same injury which forced her to withdraw from last year’s Wuhan Open. During a recent press conference it was confirmed that it was a precautionary withdrawal and she will be fine for Melbourne.
“The injury was a bit of a roadblock, but the great thing is that I’ve been healthy the three days and everyone’s been away playing so I’ve had a lot of court time which has been really beneficial”. Sharapova said.
Simona Halep – Achilles
The world No.2 is still enduring the effect of an Achilles injury. The signs are mixed for the Romanian, who is currently playing in Sydney, but is still experiencing some discomfort. The exact problem for Halep is inflammation of her Achilles, according to a recent MRI scan. The medical team has given her a green light to continue playing, however, on Tuesday the Romanian admitted that she is ‘scared’.
“It’s tough to play with pain, because I got a little bit scared. When you have pain, you always get scared because you don’t know what is going to happen”. Halep said.
Mona Barthel – back
The German has withdrawn from the Hobart International due to a back injury. During her second round match against Naomi Osaka in Hobart, the German received medication and a medical time-out for her back. Shortly after her win on Wednesday, the 25-year-old said that she was ‘thinking positive about her back’. Despite the positive thinking, the German has withdrawn from her quarterfinal match at the tournament.
Men
Nick Kyrgios – foot
Nick Kyrgios was forced to withdraw from this week’s Kooyong Classic due to a foot injury. According to sources the Australian has inflammation of soft flesh between his Achilles tendon and ankle. It is understood that the issue isn’t too severe and he plans to ready for next week.
Aljaz Bedene – Not Disclosed
Britain’s Aljaz Bedene endured a scare at the ASB Classic in Auckland when he withdrew in the final set against Sam Querrey in the first round. The injury prompted concern for the world No. 49 who underwent an MRI scan to determine the extent of the injury. Fortunately for Bedene is has come back positive.
Luckily the MRI results were positive & I’ll be 100% for the @AustralianOpen it’s just a little bruised, but nothing major! #BringIt
— Aljaz Bedene (@AljazBedene) January 14, 2016
Alexander Zverev – Shoulder
Since withdrawing from the Kooyong Classic due to inflammation in his shoulder, there has been little said by Alexander Zverev. According to a report by tennismagazine.de Zverev Australian Open plans ‘shouldn’t be jeopardised’.
Gilles Simon – Abdominal
After suffering a losing to Feliciano Lopez at the Kooyong Classic on Wednesday, Simon surprisingly announced during his press conference that if the Australian Open began tomorrow he wouldn’t be fit enough.
‘Despite this problem I am well. I hope it will go far away and that I will play Australian Open. If it started tomorrow, I would not be there, but we are five days left and I will try to be as close as possible to the 100%. My tennis level is good’. He said.
Despite the concerns regarding his abdominal, Simon is currently listed as playing next week.
List of confirmed Withdrawals from the Australian Open
Men’s Singles
Richard Gasquet →replaced by Kyle Edmund
Tommy Haas →replaced by Nikoloz Basilashvili
Andreas Haider-Maurer →replaced by Austin Krajicek
Thanasi Kokkinakis →replaced by Filip Krajinović
Juan Mónaco →replaced by Dudi Sela
Janko Tipsarević →replaced by Malek Jaziri
Women’s Singles
Alisa Kleybanova →replaced by Elizaveta Kulichkova
Karin Knapp →replaced by Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Lucie Šafářová →replaced by Jarmila Wolfe
Galina Voskoboeva →replaced by Kiki Bertens
