Barbora Krejcikova pulls out of 2025 Australian Open

Tennis star Barbora Krejcikova has pulled out from the forthcoming Australian Open 2025, which is slated to take place from January 25 in Melbourne, due to persistent back injuries. The 29-year-old tennis star last played in the WTA finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, back in November, where Qinwen Zheng of China has thwarted her in straight sets in the semifinal thriller. Krejcikova, won the French Open back in 2021, said that she is yet to recover from the injury.

Extremely saddened and disappointed after not being able to take part in the first Grand Slam of the Year, Krejcikova fondly recalled her last appearance in the Australian Open, where she made it to the quarterfinal thrillers.

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Other notable withdrawals from the 2025 Australian Open

Apart from her, tennis players with likes of Krejcikova, Caroline Wozniacki, and Karolina Pliskova will not be a part of the upcoming hard court tournament. The world number 101, Yuliia Starodubtseva, hailing from Ukraine, has replaced her in a draw game. On the other hand, Pliskova has been replaced by world number 102, Rebecca Marino.

Caroline Wozniacki has withdrawn from the Australian Open. She will be replaced in the main draw by Yuliia Starodubtseva (UKR).

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 5, 2025

Who is the defending champion?

It's worth mentioning to note that the first Grand Slam of the Year, the Australian Open 2025, is slated to take place from January 12 to 26. The world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, who has won the 2025 Brisbane Open, is the defending champion at Melbourne Park, and she will be looking to win her third title on the trot.

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“Hi everyone, I wanted to share a quick update regarding my withdrawal from the Australian Open. Unfortunately, my back injury, which troubled me at the end of last season, is still not fully healed. It’s really disappointing because I love playing in Melbourne and have such great memories from reaching the quarterfinals last year. Thanks to all of you for your support. I’m working hard to get back to full health, and I can’t wait to see you on the court soon,” said Krejcikova. 

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