The Australian Open is just weeks away from kick-starting the new tennis season, and with it comes renewed hopes for ATP and WTA tour players.
After all, this arguably marks the most attainable of the four Grand Slam tournaments, given its placement within the calendar.
Given how short the off-season is, players will get roughly two weeks of competing in tournaments before heading to Melbourne, which could leave the best players feeling unprepared and lacking momentum.
That is where the shock early exits come in, with last year boasting plenty of surprise results likely aided by this phenomenon.
Sadly, for one former Grand Slam champion, the opportunity to compete and cause another shock upset has been declined.
Bianca Andreescu opts out of Australian Open qualifying
With Viktoria Azarenka set to miss the Australian Open too, already it feels like some massive names will be missing in Melbourne this year.
Her reason for being absent remains unconfirmed.
Similarly, Bianca Andreescu is yet to explain why she has opted not to enter the qualifying, although her reason can be assumed given her comments earlier this year.
There, Andreescu argued that playing in qualifying was a ‘blow to the ego’. Perhaps that has informed her decision not to try to gain entry into the Australian Open, which will mark the seventh year since her miraculous run to the 2019 US Open title.
Bianca Andreescu makes plans instead of playing Australian Open qualifying
What further solidifies Andreescu’s absence from Australia is the fact that, during qualifying, she has instead opted to play a W35 tournament.
The Canadian will head to Bradenton in Florida, where the world number 228 will be the second seed.
This perhaps contradicts the earlier point about her lack of interest in qualifying, instead suggesting that she would prefer to continue boosting her fitness rather than go all out on one of the biggest stages in tennis.
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She is then due to play a W75 at Vero Beach, meaning Andreescu will be based in Florida and able to hopefully build a strong foundation for a return to consistent form and fitness in 2026.
This marks a far smarter move for her, which could get her back to the top at last.
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