FILE PHOTO: Tennis – WTA Tour Finals – Panamerican Tennis Center, Guadalajara, Mexico – November 14, 2021 Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova celebrates after winning her group stage match against Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejcikova REUTERS/Henry Romero
December 16, 2021
(Reuters) – World number four Karolina Pliskova has withdrawn from next month’s Australian Open with a hand injury sustained in training, the player said on Thursday in a statement released by tournament organisers.
The 29-year-old reached the semi-finals in Melbourne in 2019, losing to eventual champion Naomi Osaka. She reached the final at Wimbledon this year before a run to the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open.
“Unfortunately, I hurt my right hand in practice yesterday and I won’t be able to play in Adelaide, Sydney and (the) Australian Open this year,” Pliskova said.
Pliskova is the latest high-profile player to miss the Melbourne Park major, with Grand Slam champions Serena Williams, Bianca Andreescu and Roger Federer also absent.
The Australian Open begins on Jan. 17.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
