US Open 2023: Nick Kyrgios, Paula Badosa, Bianca Andreescu missing from field

With the fourth and final tennis major of the season approaching, a few players will be missing from the US Open. As Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek aim to defend their titles, some players will not be forming the respective 128-player men’s and women’s singles draws. Players who will miss 2023 US Open - Men **Nick Kyrgios** has withdrawn as he works his way back from injury. The Australian has played just once this year following knee surgery in January, and a wrist injury forced him to withdraw from Wimbledon and ATP events in Washington, Toronto and Cincinnati. Kyrgios had reached the quarter-finals of US Open last year in a run that saw him beat then World No 1 Daniil Medvedev. 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic has also withdrawn from the tournament. A knee injury has affected his entire season. The Croatian player had made a comeback in Umag but clearly not well enough. Once ranked as high as third in the world, Cilic has dropped to 121st and played only twice this season.

Despite doing everything possible to be 100% healthy in time for @usopen, my knee needs more time and I sadly have to withdraw. That grand slam energy, especially in NYC, is unlike anything else and I’m really going to miss playing in front of the amazing fans there this year! 💔 pic.twitter.com/aQmAvF7DUs

— Shapo (@denis_shapo) August 16, 2023

Canada’s Denis Shapovalov is another player missing with a knee injury. He has not played since a run to the last 16 at Wimbledon last month. “Despite doing everything possible to be 100% healthy in time for @usopen, my knee needs more time and I sadly have to withdraw,” Shapovalov posted on social media. “That grand slam energy, especially in NYC, is unlike anything else and I’m really going to miss playing in front of the amazing fans there this year!” Jan-Lennard Struff, who reached the final of Madrid Masters and Stuttgart, picked up a hip injury on the way to the title clash in Germany. The injury has taken longer than expected to heal which has ruled Struff out. Mikael Ymer has been ruled out of contention after being suspended for doping for 18 months. The Swede missed three out-of-competition doping tests in a 12-month period. The decision came from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after it partially upheld an appeal from the International Tennis Federation. Reilly Opelka of the United States pulled out and will miss the US Open for the second year in a row. His best showing at a major came in 2021 when he made the fourth round of the US Open. The big-serving Opelka has not played on the tour since August 2022 because of injuries, including to his hip. Pablo Carreno Busta, 2017 and 2020 US Open semi-finalist, has also pulled out with an injury. A nagging injury has seen him play just four matches this season, most recently a three-set defeat to Richard Gasquet in Rotterdam in February. Players who will miss 2023 US Open - Women Paula Badosa pulled out of the US Open and has said she will not return to court in 2023. The Spaniard who was ranked No 2 last year but is No 46 now, was scheduled to face Venus Williams in the first round. Greet Minnen has replaced Badosa in the draw. The 25-year-old had retired in the second round at Wimbledon with a recurrent back injury. “After struggling for many months to compete again, I am ending my season. Those of you who know me know how much I like to compete and how difficult it has been to make this decision,” Badosa wrote in a social media post. “We have tried everything together with my team but the pain is not letting me move forward. Thanks to the people who are still by my side in these hard times. See you next year, stronger than ever.” Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, pulled out with a back injury. The Canadian player had said she had a small stress fracture in her back after missing Cincinnati. The 23-year-old was due to face Lesia Tsurenko in the first round but has now been replaced by France’s Elsa Jacquemot. Zhang Shuai of China has pulled out of the US Open. Two-time grand Slam quarter-finalist in singles and two-time major champion in doubles, Shuai will drop out of the top-100 as a result of not appearing at Flushing Meadows. The 34-year-old appeared to suffer a panic attack during the Hungarian Open after a disputed line call led to jeers from the crowd and questionable refereeing. Caty McNally a runner-up in women’s doubles at the last two US Opens, has withdrawn from the tournament because of an elbow injury. Her withdrawal moved fellow American Madison Brengle into the main draw. Other top players absent include two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka (gave birth in July), two-time major champions Simona Halep (provisional doping ban) and Garbiñe Muguruza (taking a break from the tour) and 2016 US Open champion Angelique Kerber (gave birth in February).