Tennis: Australia, Tomljanovic and Badosa forfeit

It will be the Australian Open for absentees.

    The first Grand Slam of the 2023 season will be missing ATP-ranked world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, former WTA No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and Venus Williams.

    In the last few hours, then, the Australian Ajla Tomljanovic and the Spanish Paula Badosa have been added to the list.

    Tomljanovic, world number 35, could hardly hold back the tears when she announced that the knee injury, which also caused her to miss the United Cup, is more serious than expected.

    "This injury probably comes at the worst time ever," said Tomljanovic, who was able to reach the quarterfinals twice at Wimbledon and beat Serena Williams in the last match of her career at the 2022 US Open, even though the 23-time Grand Slam champion didn't officially announced his retirement.

    Yet in recent weeks, Tomljanovic said, "I felt at my best. I was ready to play the Australian Open, I felt I had a chance to win the title, I don't want to hide it - said the Australian -. When I start a Grand Slam, I aim to at least get to the second week, I don't go on the pitch just to participate. And now I'm not even close to this possibility".

    Shortly before the Australian, Paula Badosa had also announced, through her social profiles, the renunciation of the first Grand Slam of the season.

World number 11, champion at Indian Wells 2021, Badosa had withdrawn before the semifinal of the Adelaide International 2 against Daria Kasatkina due to an injury to her left adductor.

The Spanish newspaper Marca speaks of a lesion of three and a half centimeters which would have emerged from the subsequent tests.

    In place of Tomljanovic and Badosa, who announced their renunciation after the compilation of the draws, the French Leolia Jeanjean and the Brazilian Laura Pigossi will compete in the Australian Open as lucky loser.