French Open 2024: 7 players set to miss the tournament ft. Emma Raducanu, Karolina Muchova
Paris will soon be host to tennis action for the season’s second Grand Slam, the French Open (Roland Garros). The tournament is scheduled to be held between May 26 and June 9.
Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek will be back to defend the crowns that they lifted last year. Also returning to action will be 14-time champion Rafael Nadal, who will, in all likelihood, be playing his final French Open.
While the roster includes some top stars, there are several notable absentees too. Here, we have listed the top names that fans will miss at this year’s tournament:
#1 Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu’s current world ranking of No. 204 could not secure her a spot in the French Open main draw. She was to use a protected ranking of No. 103, but even that would not have helped her get a direct entry.
The Briton was scheduled to play in the qualification rounds but has withdrawn from the tournament to focus on the grass season. Notably, Raducanu made history by becoming the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam at the 2021 US Open.
#2 Karolina Muchova
Karolina Muchova had her long-awaited breakthrough at last year’s French Open, coming within a set’s distance from securing her first Grand Slam title. The Czech, however, was beaten by Iga Swiatek 2-6, 7-5, 4-6.
Having already battled a series of injuries in her young career, Muchova again finds herself sidelined due to an issue with her right wrist. She has hardly played in 2024 and the absence will be prolonged for now.
#3 Petra Kvitova
Paris has not been a happy hunting ground for Petra Kvitova in recent years. The two-time Grand Slam champion, whose best results in Paris came as semifinal finishes nearly a decade apart in 2012 and 2020, has fallen early at the tournament in the last three years.
This year, however, her mind will be occupied elsewhere. At the start of the year, Kvitova announced her first pregnancy with coach-turned-husband Jiri Vanek. Her maternity leave has kept her away from competition and things are likely to remain the same in the coming months.
#4 Jiri Lehecka
Kvitova’s compatriot, Jiri Lehecka, is the highest-ranked men’s singles player to have withdrawn from the French Open.
The big-hitting Czech suffered a back injury during the clay swing. He was forced to withdraw from his Madrid semifinal against Felix Auger Aliassime and the youngster will have to wait another year to improve his 1-2 win-loss at the claycourt Slam.
#5 Marin Cilic
The French Open is Marin Cilic’s least successful Slam and the record is likely to stay so as the Croat has been forced to withdraw from the tournament amid injury concerns.
Cilic, whose semifinal run in his latest appearance in 2022 also remains to be his best, has undergone knee surgery and will be out of action for the foreseeable future.
#6 Belinda Bencic
Another player who has taken time away from the sport to begin a family, Belinda Bencic, is again a big name missing from this year’s tournament.
The Swiss player holds a modest 7-7 win-loss in Paris, her worst at a Grand Slam. Her best performance at the venue came in 2019 and 2022 when she made the third round.
#7 Venus Williams
Venus Williams has seven Grand Slam titles to her name, but the legend has not been able to get her hands on the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup.
The American came close to adding the silverware to her cabinet in 2002 but lost the summit clash to sister Serena. She has not been the most active player on the Tour but has tried to play the Slams. This year’s French Open, unfortunately, is not on her calendar.