Between injuries, decline in the rankings and hope of a return, Azarenka and Andreescu are experiencing a decisive turning point. The 2026 Australian Open could be played without them… unless one last invitation changes everything.
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The 2026 Australian Open is fast approaching. On January 18, the main draw of the first Grand Slam of the season will begin at Melbourne Park.
For the occasion, the tournament organization has already revealed the list of players guaranteed to compete in the main draw, as well as those who will be entered in qualifying. Moreover, regarding the women’s draw, seven of the eight available wild cards have already been distributed.
Azarenka and Andreescu set to miss Australian Open?
There is therefore one invitation left to submit. This could benefit Victoria Azarenka or Bianca Andreescu. The two players, ranked outside the top 100, are not registered in qualifying.
Which means that if the last wild card in play is not awarded to them, those who have won Grand Slams in the past will not be present in Melbourne for the 2026 edition.
Titled twice in Australia in 2012 and 2013, Azarenka, former world number 1, could miss the tournament for the first time since 2020. Still 20th in the world at the start of 2025, the 36-year-old Belarusian player is now 132nd in the world.
As for the Canadian, she finds herself in the same situation as Azarenka. The winner of the 2019 US Open, out of the top 200, had to fight injuries again this year.
She could therefore choose to return to the secondary circuit to initially get back into shape. Andreescu, 25, has not participated in the Australian Open since 2023. She then lost to Cristina Bucsa in the second round.
