January 07, (THEWILL) – Carlos Alcaraz, the world number one, has withdrawn from the 2023 Australian Open due to injury, a situation that opens the door for the emergence of another number one.
The US Open champion has been dealing with an abdominal injury since November and suffered a further setback with a hamstring injury during the off-season.
He announced the news on Twitter, saying, “I’d worked so hard to get to my best level for Australia but unfortunately I won’t be able to play the Care A2+ Kooyong [exhibition event] or the Australian Open. It’s tough, but I have to be optimistic, recover and look forward. See you in the 2024 Australian Open.”
Alcaraz’s withdrawal means that defending champion Rafael Nadal, currently the world number two, will move up to become the top seed at the Australian Open. World number four Stefanos Tsitsipas also has a chance to get a top-two seeding if he performs well in the United Cup.
Novak Djokovic, the nine-time champion, will be the fourth seed in Alcaraz’s absence, which means he will not face Nadal, Casper Ruud, or Tsitsipas until the semi-finals. With Alcaraz not playing, Tsitsipas, and Djokovic all have a chance to replace him as world number after the Australian Open.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
