Czech tennis player Karolina Muchova has become the latest player to withdraw from next month’s Australian Open after failing to recover from an injury.
The world No.32 issued a statement on Tuesday confirming that she is still suffering from an abdominal issue which has troubled her throughout the 2021 season. According to Czech media, Muchova first injured herself during this year’s Australian Open before recovering. However, the pain started to return during the summer and eventually she pulled the plug of her season in September after losing in the first round of the US Open.
“Unfortunately, there were other problems with the abdominal muscle injury during the preparation. After the examinations, the team of doctors did not recommend me to travel to Australia. I need more time for additional treatment,” Idnes.cz quoted Muchová as saying.
It was in Melbourne where the Czech achieved her first major breakthrough by reaching the semi-finals in what was her 10th main draw appearance in a Grand Slam tournament. She stunned world No.1 Ash Barty in the quarter-finals before losing to Jeninifer Brady in three sets. Three months later Muchova rose to a ranking high of 19th in the world.
Due to her physical woes, Muchova’s rise in the sport stalled during the second half of this season. After reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, she only managed to play five matches on the Tour for the rest of the year, winning only two of them.
“I‘m sorry I won’t start the 2022 season in tournaments in Australia. I do everything I can to be fit and back on the court as soon as possible,” Muchová wrote on social media.
Muchova’s withdrawal means that four out of the eight players who reached the last eight of this year’s Australian Open will not be playing in the 2022 edition. Serena Williams has pulled out due to fitness concerns, Brady is still nursing a left foot injury and it is understood that Su-Wei Hsieh has withdrawn for unknown reasons.
Other notable absentees include former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova who injured her hand in a training accident. Meanwhile, Bianca Andreescu has opted to skip the event due to personal reasons.
The Australian Open begins on January 17th.
