Australian Open 2023: Nick Kyrgios pulls out of grand slam; top 6 players who dropped out from the tournament

Australian Open 2023 update:The Australian Open is one of the most renowned tennis tournaments, attracting top players from all over the world to compete for the prestigious title. As the qualifiers are completed now, the main edition of 2023 began on Monday, 16 January at Melbourne Park, with big names like Rafael Nadal, the 22-time major singles champion, and American star Coco Gauff taking centre stage at the Rod Laver Arena on Day 1.

Since it is the first Grand Slam of the year, players in all categories will be looking to get their season off to a good start. While fans are excited to see their favourite players in action, a few prominent stars will be missing from the tournament.

Due to various types of injuries and fitness issues, a few renowned individuals will miss the Australian Open 2023. It will be disappointing to see them sit on the bench due to their calibre and quality. As Naomi Osaka recently announced that she is expecting her first child and will not be able to smash it on the field, there are other players as well who dropped themselves out of the tournament. Let's take a look at the top five players who will be missing the championship at Melbourne Park:

1. Simona Halep (Romania)

Simona Halep will not compete in the 2023 Australian Open. The former World No. 1 not playing at the year's first Grand Slamwill be a huge loss for the organisers. She will be unable to compete due to a ban for taking the prohibited substance 'roxadustat' following fitness issues. While it is not an injury that is keeping the former French Open and Wimbledon champion out of the competition, her absence will be felt.

2. Venus Williams (USA)

Due to an undisclosedinjury, Venus Williams will not compete in any category at the Australian Open 2023. The five-time Wimbledon champion and one-time US Open champion has never won the Australian Grand Slam in singles. At the recent Auckland Classic, the 42-year-old suffered an injury. She was given a wildcard entry into the Australian Open 2023 but will not be using it.

3. Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)

Carlos Alcaraz is a huge figure who will not compete in the upcoming Australian Open in 2023. He is the current World No. 1 in Men's Singles. The winner of the US Open 2022 has a right leg injury that will keep him out of action in Australia. The 19-year-old is still in the early stages of his career but is showing great promise. He is one of the players to keep an eye on this season, but staying injury-free should be a top priority for him. The absence of a world number one tennis player will be significant.

4. Naomi Osaka (Japan)

For a long time, Naomi Osaka's participation in the Australian Open 2023 was in doubt. Since September 2022, the former World No.1 has not played an official match. It was unclear when the Japanese star would return to action, and there was no official word from the player's camp until 11 January 11 whenOsaka announced that she is pregnant and will be out of the game until 2024.

5. Paula Badosa (Spain)

Paula Badosa is the latest player to withdraw from the Australian Open in 2023. The 11th-seeded Spaniard withdrew from the season's first Grand Slam due to a thigh injury suffered in a warm-up tournament earlier this week.

6. Nick Kyrgios (Australia)

Nick Kyrgiosstunned the Australian Open by withdrawing due to a knee injury, effectively ending local hopes that he would be able to end the country's long wait for a home men's champion. The 27-year-old, who finished runner-up at Wimbledon last year, said he was "devastated" to have to withdraw from his home Grand Slam after being one of the favourites.