Australian Open withdrawal list grows as former Wimbledon finalist pulls out
The 2026 Australian Open has been hit by another couple of high-profile withdrawals although the top 10 men and women are on course to feature at the season-opening Grand Slam.
Jack Draper and Holger Rune remain the biggest stars who will miss the tournament with the former’s absence confirmed in December as he is still struggling with an arm injury while Rune will be sidelined for several months after suffering a torn Achilles injury in October.
On the men’s side, world No 42 Arthur Fils has struggled with a back injury since last year’s French Open and he has also decided not to travel to Australia, saying “I’d prefer to come back at 100% rather than returning too early.”
He is joined on the sidelines for the Australian Open by Emil Ruusuvuori and a few more players have joined the Finn on the sidelines.
Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, who used his protected ranking to enter the tournament, is out with a shoulder injury while Arthur Cazaux and Matteo Berrettini are also out.
Former Australian Open semi-finalist and 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Berrettini withdrew due to illness.
Thiago Agustin Tirante, Vit Kopriva, Yannick Hanfmann Dino Prizmic and Mackenzie McDonald are some of the players who have received the nod for the main draw on the back of those withdrawals.
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On the women’s side, Grand Slam finalists and former top-10 stars Ons Jabeur and Danielle Collins also confirmed at the back end of 2025 that they won’t travel to Melbourne, with Jabeur on maternity leave and Collins focusing on her health.
But the absentee list has grown in recent weeks with 2024 Australian Open runner-up Zheng Qinwen, who was set to be seeded 25th, revealing she will not play due to an elbow injury and she was joined by Veronika Kudermetova (No 31) with the Russian absent due to personal reasons.
Lois Boisson, one of the breakout stars of 2025 after reaching the semi-final of the French Open, was in line to make her Australian Open debut as she has risen to No 36 in the WTA Rankings, but she will not feature as she is still not 100% after struggling with hand and forearm injury in recent months.
“Going to Australia and playing the Australian Open has always been a dream of mine since I was a kid. I’ve done my best to be ready in time but I also know that wanting to burn the steps, rushing can harm my body and health in the long run,” she wrote on Instagram.
“This is why we have taken the decision not to participate in the Australian Open, to have a long term vision to be ready and 100% to start this 2026 season. I know it’s the right decision to make even if it was very difficult.”
Kaja Juvan, Leolia Jeanjean, Polina Kudermetova and Katie Boulter are some of the WTA players who have been promoted into the main draw.
