Barbora Krejcikova has pulled out of the 2019 Australian Open due to an injury. The defending Wimbledon champion revealed on Sunday. World No. 10 Krejcikova, a surprise winner at the All England Club last year, suffered the injury during the WTA Tour’s Asian swing. She appeared to be impacted by it at the season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November.
In the quarterfinals of last year’s Down Under tournament, the Czech player lost to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka. The 29-year-old Czech will also miss this week’s Adelaide International. Krejcikova won Wimbledon last year after winning the French Open three years earlier. She has also won seven Grand Slam doubles titles. Two at the Australian Open, and three major mixed doubles trophies, all in Melbourne.
Apart from Krejcikova, Caroline Wozniacki and Karolina Pliskova will not compete in the forthcoming hard-court competition. World No.101 Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine has replaced Wozniacki in the draw. Pliskova, on the other side, has been replaced by world number 102 Rebecca Marino. The Australian Open is set to take place from January 12–26. Aryna Sabalenka is the defending women’s singles champion.
Barbora Krejcikova Dodging Tough Competition
Krejcikova will aim to capture her third championship in a row at Melbourne Park. If Sabalenka achieves the feat, she will become the first female player since Martina Hingis in 1997-99 to win the Australian Open three years in a row. The world number ten said on X, “Unfortunately, my back injury, which troubled me at the end of last season, is still not fully healed.”
She further added, “It’s disappointing because I love playing in Melbourne and have such great memories from reaching the quarter-finals last year. “I’m working hard to get back to full health, and I can’t wait to see you on the court soon.” World No.2 Iga Swiatek admitted she “wasn’t fresh” after crying her way through the United Cup, but she dismissed concerns that she would be unable to compete at the Australian Open.
