Czech player Karolína Močová, ranked eighth in the world, announced her withdrawal from the Australian Open tennis tournament scheduled for January due to an old wrist injury that also caused her to miss the WTA Finals last October. Močová, 27, had a very successful year, reaching the final of the French Open where she lost to Poland's Iga Świątek, the world number one. She also made it to the semifinals of the US Open in September, where she sustained the wrist injury.
She was set to participate in the WTA Finals in Cancun for the first time but withdrew and was replaced by Greek player Maria Sakkari. Mochová expressed on Instagram last night, "I prefer not to talk about such matters, especially at the start of a new season, but unfortunately the pain in my right wrist has returned while I am in the midst of preparations."
She added, "Therefore, I need to postpone the start of the season and wait until I recover. This is disappointing, but I must stay positive and focus on healing from the injury and preparing for the rest of the year." The Australian Open will take place at Melbourne Park from January 14 to 28.
