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Rafael Nadal, Emma Raducanu, Naomi Osaka: Who's playing 2024 Australian Open & who's missing first major of tennis year?
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Published 02/01/2024 at 16:32 GMT
Rafael Nadal, Emma Raducanu, Nick Kyrgios, Naomi Osaka, Belinda Bencic, Bianca Andreescu, Caroline Wozniacki. Who is playing the 2024 Australian Open? And who will not be playing the first Grand Slam of the new tennis season? The action gets started on Sunday, January 14 in Melbourne. You can watch and stream every day live on Eurosport and discovery+.
Raducanu: My biggest goal in 2024 is being injury free
Video credit: SNTV
Who is playing the 2024 Australian Open? And who is missing out?
Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka will be defending singles champions, with Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff among those with their sights set on a first Melbourne title.
The first Grand Slam of the new season starts on Sunday, January 14, and you can watch every day live on Eurosport, while you can also enjoy all the action on discovery+, the Eurosport app and eurosport.com.
Ahead of the tournament, we round up who’s playing and who’s missing out…
Rafael Nadal
There will be no Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner underwent hip surgery last summer and returned after almost a year out at the Brisbane International, winning two matches before falling to Jordan Thompson in the quarter-finals.
Nadal announced afterwards that he was withdrawing from the Australian Open with a minor muscle injury.
He said: "During my last match in Brisbane I had a small problem on a muscle that as you know made me worried.
"Once I got to Melbourne I have had the chance to make an MRI and I have micro tear on a muscle, not in the same part where I had the injury and that’s good news.
"Right now I am not ready to compete at the maximum level of exigence in five-set matches. I’m flying back to Spain to see my doctor, get some treatment and rest."
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'I don't forget how to play tennis' - Nadal on winning return from injury
Video credit: SNTV
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka has some good memories of the Australian Open, having won two of her four Grand Slam titles in Melbourne.
Her last win in 2021 was the most recent title of her career.
Osaka returned to the tour in Brisbane after giving birth to daughter Shai in July. She has said that she hopes to win more Grand Slam titles and compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu will be at the Australian Open.
The 2021 US Open champion returned to action in Auckland after seven months out following surgery on her wrists and ankle.
It looked like she might have to come through qualifying due to her ranking before several withdrawals saw her secure an automatic main draw place.
Angelique Kerber
Angelique Kerber will be making her comeback at the Australian Open.
The former world No. 1 gave birth to daughter Liana earlier this year and hasn’t played since Wimbledon 2022.
She started her comeback by playing for Germany at the United Cup this month and will then be entering the Australian Open, which she won in 2016.
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Serena Williams - Angelique Kerber - Australian Open 2016
Image credit: Getty Images
Caroline Wozniacki
The comeback started in the summer for Caroline Wozniacki as she came out of retirement and played three tournaments.
Wozniacki, who hasn’t played since reaching the last 16 of the US Open, got a wildcard for the Australian Open, where she won her only Grand Slam title in 2018.
“I'm very confident and comfortable coming into this new season, having played those three tournaments prior, and just knowing that my game is great, and now physically I just needed to step it up a little bit more,” she said in December.
Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios will be missing his home Grand Slam for the second year in a row.
The big-serving Australian was playing the best tennis of his career in the summer of 2022 as he reached the Wimbledon final, won singles and doubles in Washington DC, and made the US Open quarters.
However, he only played one match in 2023 after undergoing surgery and is not ready to return in time for the Australian Open.
"This is a very disappointing time for me, but I won't be able to compete at the 2024 Australian Open," said Kyrgios.
"Obviously heartbreaking. I've had so many amazing memories there, and I just want to really get back to playing at the top of my game and doing it right, and I need a little more time."
Karolina Muchova
World No. 8 Karolina Muchova will miss the Australian Open due to a recurring wrist problem.
Muchova hasn't played since making the semis of the US Open and missed the WTA Finals due to the wrist injury.
Speaking about her decision to withdraw from the first Grand Slam of the season, she said: "This isn’t my favourite thing to share especially at the start of a new season, but unfortunately the pain in a wrist came back in the middle of my tennis preparation.
"It’s frustrating but I have to keep positive, recover and get ready for the rest of the year. See you in 2025 Australian Open."
Madison Keys
Two-time semi-finalist Madison Keys will miss the Australian Open due to injury.
She wrote on X: "Unfortunately I’ve been struggling with a shoulder injury & have been advised by my medical staff to withdraw from the Australian Open this year.
"This obviously isn’t the best news to start the tennis season, but I also know I’m making the right choice for my body.”
Belinda Bencic
Belinda Bencic has played the Australian Open every year since 2014, but that streak will come to an end this year.
The Olympic champion announced that she is pregnant in November, saying on Instagram: “Expecting our little miracle soon.”
Bencic played her last tournament in San Diego in September 2023.
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Belinda Bencic
Image credit: Getty Images
Petra Kvitova
Petra Kvitova will not be at the Australian Open as she is pregnant.
"While I will miss my annual trip to Australia and competing in the sport I love, I'm looking forward to spending some time at home preparing for this exciting new chapter in our lives," said the 33-year-old.
Kvitova, who finished her 2023 season in Beijing in early October, made the final of the Australian Open in 2019, losing to Naomi Osaka.
Bianca Andreescu
Former US Open winner Bianca Andreescu will miss the Australian Open.
Andreescu, 23, hasn’t played since losing her opening match at the Canadian Open in August due to a back problem.
“No, sadly I won’t be at the Australian Open,” Andreescu said in December.
“Right now I’m looking at (returning) after the Australia Open or the American Tour, so Indian Wells…maybe. We’re very close but right now I am still dealing with my back injury.
“It is getting better every single day and I am doing everything I can to get there as fast as possible but these things take time. I’m feeling very confident for 2024.”
Venus Williams
Venus Williams, 43, has played the Australian Open 21 times and made the final in 2003 and 2017.
But she won't be back this year as she continues to recover from injury.
"I am targeting March, that's when the tournaments go back to the States," she said in October.
"So my goal is to be up and running when tournaments come back to the US.”
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Stream top tennis action, including the 2024 Australian Open, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com
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