Melbourne, Jan. 12 (BNA): Home favorite Ash Barty and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic qualified for the upcoming Australian Open title.
Barty, 25, has topped the WTA at the end of the year for three years in a row, but has never won a Grand Slam, which begins on Monday in Melbourne, Reuters reports.
The two-time Grand Slam champion’s best result at the Australian Open was to reach the semi-finals in 2020.
Barty may have been so eager to secure that first title, he withdrew from the Sydney Classic this week. She won the singles and doubles titles in Adelaide last week.
“Unfortunately, I will be withdrawing from the Sydney Classic to have some time to recover before the Australian Open,” Barty said in a statement. “I’m sorry I won’t have the chance to play in front of the Sydney fans this year. I hope to see you again soon. I wish the players and the tournament team all the best next week.”
Djokovic is a nine-time event winner whose presence caused quite a stir in the Land Down Under due to his visa status.
The 34-year-old Serb is not immune and his visa was initially revoked upon arrival in Australia. He has since won an appeal to remain in the country but there is still a chance of the visa being revoked before the tournament begins.
Djokovic has won 20 Grand Slam titles, the all-time tie with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal among men’s players.
Russian Daniil Medvedev is the second seed to beat Djokovic at the US Open in September.
German Alexander Zverev came third, followed by Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas and Russian Andrey Rublev.
Spain’s Nadal is the sixth seed. The highest ranked American is Taylor Fritz at number 20. John Isner (No. 22) and Riley Opelka (No. 23) are also ranked.
The Swiss miss Federer due to knee surgery.
On the women’s front, Arina Sabalenka of Belarus came in second and Garbine Muguruza of Spain came in third. Barbora Krijikova from the Czech Republic is at number 4 and Maria Sakkari from Greece is at number 5.
Japan’s defending Australian Open title holder Naomi Osaka is 13th.
US Open champion Emma Raducano of Great Britain, seeded 17th, and Canadian runner-up Lilla Fernandez finished 23rd.
Sofia Kenin, the 2020 champion, is the top-ranked American at 11th. Other ranked Americans include Coco Gauff (No. 18), Jessica Pegola (No. 21) and Danielle Collins (No. 27).
Serena Williams is not playing in the tournament as she continues to recover from a hamstring injury. Williams has won seven Australian Open titles, and her total of 23 Grand Slam titles is tied with Margaret Court for the most times.