Osaka Joins List of Big Names Missing Australian Open

Tennis - Yarra Valley Classic - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 5, 2021 Japan's Naomi Osaka celebrates after winning her quarter final match against Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
Tennis - Yarra Valley Classic - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 5, 2021 Japan's Naomi Osaka celebrates after winning her quarter final match against Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
TT
20

Osaka Joins List of Big Names Missing Australian Open

Tennis - Yarra Valley Classic - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 5, 2021 Japan's Naomi Osaka celebrates after winning her quarter final match against Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
Tennis - Yarra Valley Classic - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 5, 2021 Japan's Naomi Osaka celebrates after winning her quarter final match against Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka became the latest star to pull out of the opening Grand Slam of the year Sunday, leaving the tournament deprived of some of the biggest names in the game.

No reason for the Japanese player's withdrawal was given with organizers Tennis Australia tweeting: "We will miss her at AO2023."

Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska was promoted to the main draw at Melbourne Park in her absence, AFP reported.

Osaka has not played a competitive match since September and reports last week said that, despite being on the official entry list, Tennis Australia were having trouble verifying her whereabouts.

The 25-year-old's social media accounts indicated that she had been travelling in Europe with her on-again, off-again boyfriend rapper Cordae.

Her no-show was another blow for the tournament starting on January 16 after US Open champion and world number one Carlos Alcaraz withdrew on Friday with a right leg problem.

Veteran American Venus Williams will also be missing after picking an injury at last week's Auckland Classic and handing back the wildcard she had been awarded.

Open organizers were already reeling from the retirements last year of reigning women's champion Ashleigh Barty and legends Serena Williams and Roger Federer.

Former world number one and two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep is another not playing after she was provisionally suspended in October for taking the banned substance roxadustat.

But nine-time champion Novak Djokovic is back after missing last year's event when he was deported over his vaccination status.

Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal, who won the 2022 title in Djokovic's absence, will also line up, taking over the top seeding from Alcaraz.

Osaka, the champion in Melbourne in 2019 and 2021, last played at a tournament in Tokyo in September before pulling out with abdominal pain, slumping to 42 in the world rankings.

The four-time Grand Slam winner has previously talked about struggles with her mental health and spent all of 2022 outside the top 10, enduring first-round defeats at both the French and US Opens. She withdrew from Wimbledon with an Achilles' injury.

Speaking at the Pan Pacific Open in September, she admitted she had gone through "more down than up" in 2022.

"This year has been not the best year for me but I've learned a lot about myself," said Osaka, who also won Grand Slams at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and 2020.

"Life is ups and downs, and this year was more down than up, but overall I'm pretty happy with where I am now."



Real Madrid’s Rudiger Rebuked by Germany’s Sporting Director Over Ice Incident in Copa del Rey 

Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger, left, challenges for the ball with Barcelona's Ferran Torres during the Spanish Copa del Rey final soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Estadio de La Cartuja stadium in Seville, Spain, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP)
Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger, left, challenges for the ball with Barcelona's Ferran Torres during the Spanish Copa del Rey final soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Estadio de La Cartuja stadium in Seville, Spain, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP)
TT
20

Real Madrid’s Rudiger Rebuked by Germany’s Sporting Director Over Ice Incident in Copa del Rey 

Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger, left, challenges for the ball with Barcelona's Ferran Torres during the Spanish Copa del Rey final soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Estadio de La Cartuja stadium in Seville, Spain, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP)
Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger, left, challenges for the ball with Barcelona's Ferran Torres during the Spanish Copa del Rey final soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Estadio de La Cartuja stadium in Seville, Spain, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP)

Antonio Rudiger needs to show “class” and respect for others, German national team sporting director Rudi Voller has said, after the defender appeared to throw ice toward the referee during Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey loss to Barcelona.

Rudiger shouted at the referee and seemed to throw a small bag of ice during extra time in Madrid’s 3-2 loss to Barcelona on Saturday.

Rudiger has since apologized for his behavior, but the incident prompted former Germany player Dietmar Hamann to call Sunday for the defender to be left out of Germany’s squad for the Nations League final four in June.

“You can’t do that. And especially not as a player for the German national team. He needs to change that and he knows that himself, his public reaction shows that,” Voller told the dpa news agency in comments published Monday.

“Toni is a classy player, but as a player for the German national team he also needs to display class in his behavior. He rightly demands respect for himself (and) he needs to show this same respect to others without exception,” he added.

Voller’s comments did not address whether Rudiger’s conduct could have any impact on national team selection. He added he didn’t want Rudiger to tone down his emotional approach to the game.

“Toni is an excellent soccer player and a very emotional guy, a fighter on the field,” Voller said. “And he should stay that way.”

Germany plays Portugal in the Nations League semifinals in Munich on June 4.