The Australian Open has been hit by its first major withdrawal after 2024 runner-up Qinwen Zheng was forced to pull out of the tournament. The Olympic gold medallist underwent elbow surgery last July and made a short-lived comeback in September before retiring mid-match and skipping more tournaments.
Zheng has now shared an emotional statement on social media, expressing her love for the Australian Open and admitting that she cannot yet sustain the “extreme competitive condition” needed to compete at a Grand Slam tournament.
The former world No. 4 wrote: “Hi everyone, after careful evaluation by my team and following medical advice, unfortunately I will be withdrawing from the 2026 Australian Open.
“Making this decision has been incredibly difficult for me. Melbourne is my ‘lucky place’ where I won my first Grand Slam main draw match and where I had my best experience. I have a special connection to this place, and I was very eager to start my new season at the Melbourne Park.
“Although my recovery is progressing well and my offseason has gone smoothly, to play a Grand Slam requires players to maintain an extreme competitive condition. Currently, I have not yet reached my best condition that I have set for myself.
“I can’t thank everyone enough for their continued support and am very much looking forward to being 100 per cent back on the court and having a strong 2026 season return.”
The Australian Open is branded as the Grand Slam of the Asia-Pacific, and Chinese star Zheng is a crowd favourite in Melbourne. The 23-year-old was also due to face Elena Rybakina in a pre-tournament exhibition match on Rod Laver Arena next Tuesday.
Zheng announced that she would be stepping away from the tour for an undisclosed amount of time after having elbow surgery following her shock first-round exit at Wimbledon.
She returned at the Beijing Open in China at the end of September and beat Emiliana Arango, but retired in the third set of her match against Linda Noskova, and has not played since.