The Australian Open will be missing a big former champion at the 2026 tournament.
As the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, there is often even more attention on the Australian Open entry list, which has seen former world number one Karolina Pliskova confirm her return to major tournaments.
Pliskova is not the only player returning to Melbourne, with a two-time Grand Slam finalist also coming back to the Australian Open.
There are also some big names who will be missing from the tournament, including Danielle Collins explaining her absence from the Australian Open, and now a two-time former champion is the latest player confirmed to be missing the event.
Victoria Azarenka will not play the Australian Open in 2026
Victoria Azarenka is a two-time Australian Open champion, having won the title in back-to-back years in 2012 and 2013.
However, it has been a challenging year for the former world number one, as Azarenka struggled with injury and played just 12 tournaments in 2025.
As a result, Azarenka has fallen outside the top 100 for the first time in seven years and was unable to get into the main draw of the Australian Open.
Azarenka could have still played in qualifying, but she was noticeably missing from the entry list that has just been released.
Unless Azarenka receives the last remaining wildcard for the women’s singles draw at the Australian Open, she will be missing the tournament for the first time since 2020.
The last time Azarenka played was at the US Open, where she lost in the third round to Jessica Pegula, leaving question marks over the 36-year-old’s future in the sport.
Who will win the 2026 Australian Open?
Another Grand Slam champion also set to miss the Australian Open
Azarenka is not the only Grand Slam champion who will be missing the Australian Open this year, with another big name also choosing not to enter the qualifying draw.
Former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu has also faced many injury problems since winning the title in 2019, and as a result is currently the world number 228.
Andreescu said playing in qualifying was a ‘blow to the ego’ earlier this year, and it is unclear as to whether this is the reason for her absence after recently posting a video on social media of her training for the season ahead.
Who will be the biggest disappointment at the 2026 Australian Open?
Alongside Azarenka and Andreescu, the 12 other players who have not entered the Australian Open qualifying draw who are ranked high enough are Caroline Dolehide, Jil Teichmann, Aoi Ito, Irina-Camelia Begu, Anca Todoni, Rebecca Marino, Daria Saville, Clervie Ngounoue, Petra Martic, Robin Montgomery, and Wakana Sonobe.
Australian Open qualifying takes place between January 12-15, before the main draw gets underway on Sunday, January 18.
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