5 players who will miss 2023 Miami Open, ft. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal
As the BNP Paribas Open draws to a close, attention moves towards the Miami Open, which is set to begin this week. It is a combined ATP and WTA tournament and will be held from March 21 to April 2.
Defending champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz are the top seeds and lead a rather strong field. Most of the top players are accounted for, but a few are amiss from this year's event.
Last year's finalist Naomi Osaka is on maternity leave after announcing her pregnancy earlier this year. The men's event has been hit by a spate of withdrawals, including some well-known names like Nick Kyrgios, David Goffin and Pablo Carreno Busta.
But that's not it, as a few more high-profile players, including two of the sport's greatest, are missing in action. Here's a look at the five prominent players set to skip the 2023 Miami Open:
#5 - Anett Kontaveit
After some stellar results towards the end of 2021 and rising to World No. 2 the following year, Anett Kontaveit's career has been derailed by injuries. She made early exits from all the tournaments she competed in this year.
The 27-year old retired while trailing in the third set during her second-round encounter at the Abu Dhabi Open, her most recent match. Kontaveit has since revealed that the back injury that has plagued her for so long is, in fact, chronic.
Kontaveit was forced to skip the BNP Paribas Open and although she was hopeful of being ready for the Miami Open, she's going to have to give it a miss as well.
#4 - Marin Cilic
Following a resurgent 2022 campaign, Marin Cilic was expected to carry his form into the next year as well. However, things went sideways for him right at the beginning of the new season.
Cilic started 2023 by competing at the Maharashtra Open. After a first-round bye, he started his campaign with a win to reach the quarterfinals. He then picked up an injury while training and as a result withdrew from the tournament.
The Croat then skipped the Australian Open and underwent surgery to treat the aforementioned injury. He was expected to compete at the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open, but has delayed his comeback in order to recover fully.
#3 - Sebastian Korda
Sebastian Korda has been touted as one of the probable players to raise the profile of men's tennis in America. After some promising results over the last couple of years, he started 2023 with a bang.
The 22-year reached his fifth career final at the Adelaide International 1. Up against Novak Djokovic, he put up a tough fight but lost the contest in three sets. He then made it to his first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open.
Korda faced Karen Khachanov in the last eight, but retired midway through the third set following an injury. He has remained out of commission since then. The young American is expected to return to action at next month's Estoril Open.
#2 - Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal never fully recovered from his injury woes from last year, which led to a string of poor results towards the end of 2022. Following a fourth-round exit from the US Open, he went on to lose four matches in a row.
The former World No. 1 kicked off 2023 by competing in the inaugural edition of the United Cup. He lost both of his singles group ties as Spain failed to make it past the group stage.
Nadal scored his first win of the year by defeating Jack Draper at the Australian Open. He faced Mackenzie McDonald in the second round, but was hampered by a hip injury as he suffered a straight-sets loss.
The Spaniard then withdrew from his scheduled events in the Middle East and subsequently the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open as well. He's expected to make his comeback during the clay swing.
#1 - Novak Djokovic
While injuries have forced other players to miss the Miami Open, a fully fit Novak Djokovic is on the sidelines for a completely different reason. For the second year in a row, the Serb was denied entry into the US as a result of his non-compliance with the country's vaccine mandate.
While the US has relaxed its strict vaccine requirements for foreign visitors, that policy will come into effect in a couple of months. Djokovic's request for an exemption was denied and despite some urging from a few politicians, the outcome remained the same.
Djokovic has since officially withdrawn from the Miami Open, a tournament he has won six times in the past. He'll next be seen at the Monte-Carlo Masters, which is set to begin on April 9.