The 2026 Australian Open is rapidly approaching, with the Grand Slam getting underway in mid-January.
The Australian Open represents the first Grand Slam of the season, with Melbourne Park in Victoria playing host.
Jannik Sinner enters the men’s singles event as the two-time defending champion, having beaten Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev in the last two finals.
The Australian Open is Sinner’s first tournament of 2026, with the Italian currently enjoying some downtime before taking on the Grand Slam.
Former finalist Danielle Collins set to miss the 2026 Australian
Meanwhile, Madison Keys will be out to defend her women’s singles title, having beaten WTA number one Aryna Sabalenka in the 2025 final.
She also defeated fellow American Danielle Collins in Melbourne, with the latter among the notable absentees from the 2026 entry list.
Collins, who is currently ranked 64th in the world, will miss the Australian Open, alongside world number 76 Ons Jabeur.
Jabeur is currently on maternity leave, while there has been no official confirmation of the reason behind the absence of Collins.
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What happened with Danielle Collins and the fans at the 2025 Australian Open?
Collins has quite the history with the Australian Open, most notably having reached the final back in 2022.
It represents her only Grand Slam final appearance, with the American losing 3-6, 6-7(2-7) to Australian icon Ashleigh Barty.
Collins fell just short of playing the villain that year, but that certainly wasn’t the case in 2025, when she issued a controversial message to those who heckled her during her round two win over Destanee Aiava.
She said afterwards: “One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is that the people that don’t like you and the people that hate you, they actually pay your bills.
“My professional career is not going to last forever so I just remind myself every day when I have that kind of stuff they’re paying my bills.
“Every person that has bought a ticket to come out here and heckle me or do what they do, it’s all going towards the Danielle Collins fund.”
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Unsurprisingly, Collins was subjected to boos by the fans when she took on fellow American Keys in the third round.
Speaking after the loss, she said: “I expected that obviously. That’s fine. I really do enjoy playing in these types of environments.”
She added that “you can’t please everybody,” with many home fans now certain to be happy with her decision not to return next month.
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