A Grand Slam champion withdrew from the Australian Open shortly before her first round match was scheduled to take place.
There have been many big name withdrawals from the first major of 2026, including both Jack Draper and Qinwen Zheng pulling out of the Australian Open.
These withdrawals have continued, with former Grand Slam finalist Matteo Berrettini also confirming he would not play the Australian Open this year, despite originally appearing in the draw.
Now, a former Wimbledon champion has released a statement after she was unable to take to court for her first round match in Melbourne.
Marketa Vondrousova releases statement after withdrawing from the Australian Open
Marketa Vondrousova made history in 2023, becoming the lowest ranked player to win the women’s singles title at Wimbledon in the Open Era.
However, since winning the biggest title of her career, Vondrousova has faced many setbacks with injury, including having to undergo shoulder surgery in 2024.
This has not been able to fix the former world number six’s issues, with Vondrousova withdrawing from her match at the Adelaide International, which already set alarm bells ringing when concerning her Australian Open participation.
Vondrousova missed the Australian Open last year through injury, and she has now confirmed her absence from the Melbourne major for a second successive year due to the shoulder problems she has been facing.
“I’m really sorry that I had to withdraw from the Australian Open due to ongoing shoulder issues,” Vondrousova said in a statement on Instagram confirming her withdrawal.
“After everything I’ve been dealing with, I need to prioritize my health, even though this decision wasn’t easy. Thank you all for your understanding and support.”
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Vondrousova was scheduled to play Hailey Baptiste in the first round, but after her late withdrawal a new opponent was confirmed for the American.
Doubles Grand Slam champion Taylor Townsend lost in Australian Open qualifying earlier this week to Australian Storm Hunter.
However, following Vondrousova’s withdrawal, Townsend was handed a lifeline as a lucky loser to face her compatriot Baptiste.
Despite being given an opportunity to play in the Australian Open main draw, Townsend was unable to take advantage and was beaten by Baptiste, 6-3 6(3)-7 6-3.
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Baptiste will now move onto her second round match, where she will play either Jessica Bouzas Maneiro or the aforementioned Hunter, while Townsend will switch her attention back to the doubles event, where she is the top seed alongside Katerina Siniakova.
It is unclear as to how severe the injury concern should be for Vondrousova, who is next scheduled to compete at the Abu Dhabi Open next month.
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