4 star tennis players missing Australian Open 2023

• Most of these names made it worthwhile watching tennis matches take on the court
• Naomi Osaka is the most recent participant to withdraw
• It’s worth noting that prize money for the 2023 Australian Open will total AUD 76.5 million

Disappointment is a big part of tennis, and as is with every season, there are several tennis players missing Australian Open 2023.

Most of these names made it worthwhile watching tennis matches take on the court. However, they chose to sit out of the Melbourne tournament.

It’s worth noting that prize money for the 2023 Australian Open will total AUD 76.5 million ($51.5 million), Tennis Australia said last week. This is an increase of 3.4 per cent over the 2022 event. The Australian Open’s singles competition winner will get a check for AUD 2,975,000 ($2 million), while the runner-up will receive AUD 1,625,000 ($1 million).

Main draw first-round losers will receive AUD 106,250 ($71,509), an increase of 3.2% from the same level in 2022, while first-round first-round qualifiers will receive $26,000, an increase of 3% from the previous year.

The total prize money for the Australian summer of tennis will now exceed AUD 100 million ($67 million). That said, here are tennis players missing Australian Open 2023.

NAOMI OSAKA

Naomi Osaka. Photo/Eurosport

Naomi Osaka is the most recent participant to withdraw from the forthcoming Australian Open 2023, which starts on January 16th. The former world No.1 pulled a surprise card on this one.

Her absence from all of the events leading up to this year’s first Slam cast a shadow over Osaka’s participation in the event. Putting an end to all those rumours, Australian Open announced this news in a tweet on January 8th, not giving a reason in particular.

In a past interview in September 2022, she described the season as one of her hardest over the years. In literal terms, ‘It had more downs than ups’.

Osaka was recently caught up in a cryptocurrency storm when FTX investments dipped, leaving many investors counting losses.

CARLOS ALCARAZ

Carlos Alcaraz. Photo/The Independent

World No. 1 in ATP Tour Carlos Alcaraz will not play at the 2023 Australian Open after picking an injury while going about his routine training.

Around 10:00 pm Friday, Central European Time, the world’s best player tweeted the news. Since his retirement against Holger Rune in the Rolex Paris Masters two months ago, Alcaraz, 19, has not participated in a competitive match.

Alcaraz reported experiencing a new injury, this time to his right leg. The 2022 US Open champion doesn’t specify what time this injury occurred, only that it did during a practice session.

He explained that he worked extremely hard to prepare for the first Grand Slam of 2023, but fate had its way.  Alcaraz didn’t expect any of this to happen, and he has to wait until 2024 to play in Australia.

Sadly, he is among the tennis players missing Australian Open 2023.

SIMONA HALEP

Romanian tennis player Simona Halep. Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images

Romanian tennis star and former world No.1 Simona Halep was temporarily banned from tennis in October 2022 after testing positive for banned substances.

A sample was taken during the 2022 US Open, and she tested positive for Roxadustat, International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) says. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List for 2022 includes Roxadustat as a prohibited substance.

The two-time Grand Slam champion has denied intentionally using the drug. In a statement on her social media accounts, the 31-year-old player said this is hard on her.

She said that the ITIA pronouncement marks another part of her career: fighting for the truth.  Halep said she took the news of her testing positive for banned substances with a lot of shocks.

“I have been notified that I have tested positive for a substance called Roxadustat in an extremely low quantity, which came as the biggest shock of my life,” she stated.

VENUS WILLIAMS

Venus Williams got a wild card to play at the 2023 Australian Open. Photo by Tennis Buzz

The legendary Venus Williams, unfortunately, is among tennis players missing Australian Open 2023. pulled out of the 2023 Australian Open due to an injury she suffered during a warm-up match.

Williams already had a wildcard to the year’s first Grand Slam starting on January 16 in Melbourne. The 42-year-old suffered an injury at the ASB Classic in Auckland while getting ready for the Australian Open.

Her pullout is a big disappointment to her fans, who anticipated a thrilling performance from her.

This would have been her 26th debut at the tournament. In 13 events last season, Williams only won three matches, but she hasn’t yet indicated that she’d like to retire like her sister Serena Williams.

Despite being a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, she lost in the Australian Open final in 2003 and 2017.