The Australian Open feels closer than ever after the entry lists for the 2026 tournament have been released.
Last year saw Jannik Sinner defend his title in Melbourne, while Madison Keys won the Australian Open to become a Grand Slam champion for the first time.
Both players are set to return to the tournament again, alongside Carlos Alcaraz, who is looking to win the Australian Open for the first time.
There have also been six wildcards handed out for the Australian Open, and now a former world number one player is set to make her Grand Slam return.
Karolina Pliskova confirms intention to play the 2026 Australian Open
Karolina Pliskova is a former world number one, and has reached the final of both the US Open (2016) and Wimbledon (2021).
However, recent years have been more challenging for Pliskova, who suffered a serious ankle injury at the 2024 US Open and had to undergo surgery.
After being out of action for over a year, Pliskova returned at a lower-level WTA tournament in September, where she won one match before exiting in the second round.
The Czech would only play one more event this year, before Pliskova called an end to her 2025 season, leaving many question marks over the player who is currently ranked outside the top 1000.
Pliskova has now answered some of those questions about her future intentions, with the 33-year-old officially entering the Australian Open.
Despite being ranked outside the world’s top 1000, Pliskova has been able to enter the Australian Open using her protected ranking of world number 40, the ranking she had before her lengthy injury absence.
This will be the first time Pliskova has played a Grand Slam tournament since she suffered her ankle injury at the US Open over a year ago.
While Pliskova has never reached the Australian Open final before, it is actually the Grand Slam tournament where she has the best win-loss record.
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Which other players have entered the Australian Open using a protected ranking?
Pliskova is also not the only player who has used a protected ranking, which all players are entitled to if they have missed six months of action due to a valid reason, for the Australian Open next year.
Joining Pliskova in the women’s singles draw using a protected ranking are WTA title winner Yafan Wang and Thai player Mananchaya Sawangkaew.
Even more have been used for the men’s singles draw, including Chinese players Juncheng Shang and Zhizhen Zhang and Emil Ruusuvuori, who beat Sinner just two years ago.
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The other player to be using a protected ranking is Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, who has also undergone a big surgery in the past year after not playing a match since the Australian Open.
Kokkinakis has spoken about playing doubles with Nick Kyrgios in Melbourne, but his compatriot will need a wildcard to get into the Australian Open.
The Australian Open main draw will get underway on Sunday, January 18, featuring the likes of Pliskova and Kokkinakis.
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