Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova pulled out of the Australian Open due to a back problem, the Czech player said Sunday, while Caroline Wozniacki and Karolina Pliskova will also miss the year’s first Grand Slam.
World No. 10 Krejcikova, a surprise winner at the All England Club last year, sustained the injury in the WTA Tour’s Asian swing of tournaments and looked to be affected by it at the season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November.
“I wanted to share a quick update regarding my withdrawal from the Australian Open,” Krejcikova posted on X. “Unfortunately, my back injury, which troubled me at the end of last season, is still not fully healed.
“It’s disappointing because I love playing in Melbourne and have such great memories from reaching the quarterfinals last year. … I’m working hard to get back to full health. I can’t wait to see you on the court soon.”
Nuria Parrizas Diaz will take Krejcikova’s spot in the draw.
Former Melbourne champion Wozniacki was replaced in the draw by Yuliia Starodubtseva, the Australian Open said. Pliskova will be replaced by Canada’s Rebecca Marino.
The Australian Open runs from Jan. 12 to Jan. 26.
