Australian Open 2023: Top seven players who will miss tennis tournament

It will be disappointing to see the following five players not participate at Melbourne Park.

The Australian Open is one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world, drawing top players from around the globe to compete for the coveted title. The main draw of this year’s edition, after the completion of the qualifiers, will begin on 16 January 2023 and end on 29 January 2023. 

Since it is the first Grand Slam of the year, the players in various categories will aim to kickstart their campaign positively. While the fans cannot wait to see their favourite players in action, a few notable stars will be absent from the tournament.

A few notable individuals are missing the Australian Open 2023 due to various types of injuries and fitness issues. It will be disappointing to see them sit on the sidelines because of their quality and calibre. Let’s take a look at the top five players missing the championship that takes place at Melbourne Park:

Nick Kyrgios

Local favourite Nick Kyrgios has pulled out from the Australian Open 2023 saying he was "devastated" to miss his home Grand Slam. The Australian was due to face Roman Safiullin in the first round of men's singles on Tuesday. He revealed he was struggling with an ankle issue heading into the event. A knee discomfort then forced him to withdraw from the season's first Grand Slam.

Apart from men's singles, Kyrgios was also supposed to defend his men's doubles title alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Paula Badosa

Paula Badosa has pulled out of the Australian Open 2023. The 11th-seed Spaniard withdrew from the season's first Grand Slam due to a thigh injury she picked up earlier this week in a warm-up tournament.

https://twitter.com/paulabadosa/status/1614080661043970050?s=20&t=bFFiPeJXJxBqpU-z9Z9miA

Former Spain World No. 2, Badosa tweeted, "Bad news… during the quarter-final match in Adelaide I hurt myself and after receiving the results I will have to be out for a few weeks."

She added, "Sad to miss Australian Open this year, really going to miss it. I will do everything I can to return as soon as possible."

Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka’s participation at the Australian Open 2023 was under doubt for a long time. The former World No.1 has not played an official match since September 2022. It was unclear when the Japanese star would come back into action and there was no official communication from the player’s side. However, on January 11, Osaka announced that she is pregnant and will be taking a break from tennis until 2024.

https://twitter.com/naomiosaka/status/1613223970891010049?s=20&t=Y-9yErE_XmxIp-tPaSrkDw

The year 2022 was not kind for Osaka who has been previously vocal about her struggles with mental health. She suffered first-round exits from the French Open and the US Open. She withdrew from Wimbledon 2022 with an injury.

Simona Halep

Simona Halep will not participate in the Australian Open 2023. The former World No.1 will be a huge miss for the organisers of the Grand Slam. She will be unable to participate due to a ban for taking a banned substance roxadustat after suffering from fitness issues.

While it is not exactly an injury that keeps the former French Open and Wimbledon winner away from the competition, her absence will be felt. 

Gael Monfils

Gael Monfils is one of the major players who will miss the upcoming Australian Open 2023. The 36-year-old is a fan favourite who plays extravagant shots and loves to entertain the crowd during his matches. He is working his way back to fitness and will be giving the tournament a miss.

He reached the quarter-final stage in the previous edition of the Grand Slam. It is a pleasure to watch Monfils on the hard court surface but his absence at the Australian Open 2023 will disappoint the fans.

Venus Williams

Venus Williams will not participate in any category at the Australian Open 2023 due to an injury. The five-time Wimbledon winner and one-time US Open winner has never won the Grand Slam in Australia in the singles category.

The 42-year-old picked up an injury at the recent Auckland Classic. She received a wildcard entry into the Australian Open 2023 but will not use it, handing it back to the organisers.

Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz is a huge figure that will give the upcoming Australian Open 2023 a miss. He is currently the World No.1 in Men’s Singles category. The winner of the US Open 2022 is suffering from a right leg injury which will keep him away from action in Australia.

The 19-year-old is in the early stages of his career and showing a lot of promise. He is one of the players to watch out for this year but remaining free of injuries ought to be a priority for him. The absence of a World No.1 tennis player will be huge.