Australian Open 2023: Who is playing and who is missing out? Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu
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ByEurosport
Updated 15/01/2023 at 18:08 GMT
Who's playing the 2023 Australian Open and who's missing out? Will Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu all play the Grand Slam tournament? The first Grand Slam of the new season gets started in Melbourne on January 16. Nadal is the defending men's champion while there will be a new women's champion as Ashleigh Barty retired following her 2022 win.
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The 2023 Australian Open starts on January 16 in Melbourne where Rafael Nadal will be the defending men’s champion while women's world No. 1 Iga Swiatek will have her sights on the women’s title following the retirement of 2022 winner Ashleigh Barty.
Often the first Grand Slam of the new season is the best attended as players have had an off-season to recover from any injury issues. However, there will still be some star names who won’t be in Melbourne in January, including men's world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, two-time winner Naomi Osaka and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams.
We look at the key names who will be playing the 2023 Australian Open and those who could miss out.
Novak Djokovic
Nine-time champion Novak Djokovic is back at the Australian Open.
Djokovic did not play last year after a 10-day visa saga ended with him being deported from the country. He has not lost a match at the Grand Slam since 2018 and will start as the favourite.
He is starting his preparation for the tournament at the Adelaide International and has already received a very warm welcome from the fans there.
Djokovic says he hopes he will also receive a warm reception at Melbourne Park.
“After obviously what happened earlier this year, hopefully I can have a decent reception there and hopefully that can help me play some good tennis," the 35-year-old said.
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Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal will be back to defend his Australian Open title.
Nadal beat Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling 2022 final to claim victory at the opening Grand Slam of the year for the first time since 2009. This time last year he had not played in five months due to injury, and ahead of the 2023 Australian Open he also appears short of competitive action.
Nadal returned late in the season in 2022 and lost three straight matches before ending with a win over Casper Ruud at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
He has not enjoyed a rich run of form so far Down Under in what has proved to be a tough campaign at the United Cup.
Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz will not be playing his first Grand Slam as world No. 1.
The youngest No. 1 in ATP history missed the Nitto ATP Finals at the end of the 2022 season with an abdominal injury and has pulled out of the Australian Open due to a leg injury he suffered during pre-season training.
"It's tough, but I have to be optimistic, recover and look forward," said Alcaraz on social media.
"See you in 2024 Australian Open.”
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Best shots from from year-end No. 1 Alcaraz in 2022
Naomi Osaka
The Australian Open has been the scene of some of Naomi Osaka’s most memorable triumphs. She has won the tournament twice (2019 and 2021) and her most recent Grand Slam victory was in Melbourne.
But since that win Osaka’s form has dipped. She did not have a vintage 2022, playing just 25 matches and winning only 14 of them. In total she only entered 11 tournaments.
“She just needs to play,” tennis legend Martina Navratilova told the WTA in December. “For every major, you should play at least five tournaments, that’s a good ratio. For me, it was like 10. You can’t talk yourself into winning - you just have to go out and do it.”
Osaka will not be returning to action at the 2023 Australian Open. It has been confirmed she will miss the Grand Slam and it is not known when she will play on tour again.
Venus Williams
Venus Williams will not be back for a 22nd Australian Open appearance.
Williams is a two-time runner-up at the Grand Slam, most recently in 2017, and was set to return until an injury ruled her out.
Williams, 42, suffered the injury after playing at the ASB Classic warm-up event in Auckland.
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Venus Williams will be playing the 2023 Australian Open
Image credit: Getty Images
Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu's chances of playing at the 2023 Australian Open look in doubt after she rolled her ankle at the ASB Classic in Auckland.
Raducanu has travelled to Melbourne with the hope that she will be able to compete at the first Grand Slam of the year despite her ankle injury.
"I'm just taking it a day at a time and just trying every single day as best as possible to see and make progress," she said. "We'll see hopefully by Monday or whenever the tournament starts, I'll be OK and ready."
The British No. 1 left the court in tears after retiring from her match against Viktoria Kuzmova.
Raducanu made her debut in Melbourne last year as the reigning US Open champion and lost in the second round.
Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios made a shock last-minute withdrawal from the United Cup due to injury. The announcement came as a surprise to his team-mates who found out 10 minutes before their pre-tournament press conference.
Kyrgios is Australia’s highest-ranked men’s singles players and also won the doubles title at the Australian Open in 2022. He has reportedly been dealing with an ankle injury which he suffered at an exhibition event in Dubai in December.
He was set to play the Adelaide International 2 ahead of the Australian Open but has withdrawn from the event.
He will play Djokovic in a charity match on Rod Laver Arena dubbed the 'Arena Showdown' on January 13, which you can watch live with Eurosport and discovery+.
Ashleigh Barty
Defending Australian Open women’s champion Ashleigh Barty will not be back on court. Barty made the shock decision to retire shortly after her victory in Melbourne in 2022.
The former world No. 1 has said that she feels “comfortable” and has no plans to come out of retirement.
Sofia Kenin
Sofia Kenin was a surprise winner at the 2020 Australian Open but her form has dropped since. She is now ranked at No. 149 in the world and had a 5-8 win-loss record in 2022 after missing time due to injury.
She will be using her protected ranking to play the 2023 Australian Open.
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Sofia Kenin won the Australian Open in 2020
Image credit: Getty Images
Gael Monfils
Gael Monfils made the Australian Open quarter-finals in 2022 but will not be back this year.
He only played in eight tournaments last season due to injury and has said that 2023 will be a “year of transition” as he looks to get back to full fitness in time for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
He also plans to use his protected ranking for the French Open.
Dominic Thiem
Dominic Thiem, who was runner-up at the Australian Open in 2020, will be playing the Grand Slam again. Thiem has been on the comeback trail after a wrist injury and has only played two of the last Grand Slam tournaments.
He showed improvement over the second half of the 2022 season but did not earn enough ranking points to secure an automatic spot at the Australian Open.
He has though got a wildcard to play the tournament.
Marin Cilic
Former finalist Marin Cilic has withdrawn from the 2023 Australian Open due to injury. Cilic, 34, was a runner-up in Melbourne in 2018 when he lost to Roger Federer in the final.
But he will not be back for another shot at the Grand Slam this month .
“Not a great start to 2023 and few tough days in Melbourne,” he wrote on Twitter. “Devastated I can't play this year at Australian Open but health comes first. See you next year Melbourne!”
Stan Wawrinka
Now ranked at No. 148 in the world, Stan Wawrinka will be using a protected ranking to play the Australian Open.
The 2014 champion has dropped down the rankings after undergoing foot surgery and only returning an 8-14 win-loss record in 2022.
Given he will be turning 38 in March it could be the last time that he plays the Australian Open.
Reilly Opelka
World No. 38 Reilly Opelka will not be playing the Australian Open due to injury.
The big-serving American has not played since August 2022.
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