Amid the chatter about Emma Raducanu getting towards the Australian Open main draw, Madison Keys was floated as a name who was likely to withdraw due to injury and that is the case with the American announcing on Thursday evening due to shoulder injury struggles she will not play in Melbourne.
The current World No.12 has a best of a semi-final in 2022 as well as 2015 and had a resurgent season in 2023. She returned to the top 10, sealed a seventh career title and reached the US Open semi-final.
She last played at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai losing in the group stage, but outside of a charity exhibition with Linda Fruhvirtova in the off season little had been heard of the American since. She put the news on X (formerly Twitter).
“Hi everyone…” tweeted the former world No. 7. “Unfortunately I’ve been struggling with a shoulder injury & have been advised by my medical staff to withdraw from the @AustralianOpen this year. This obviously isn’t the best news to start the tennis season, but I also know I’m making the right choice for my body.”
She narrowly lost to Aryna Sabalenka at the 2023 US Open and was left dejected but now won't start her season until at least February and potentially not until Indian Wells and Miami. She joins Karolina Muchova and Petra Kvitova as well as Bianca Andreescu as the leading absentees.
“I think everyone at the start of the tournament would obviously be really, really excited to be in the semis,” a dejected Keys said after her loss to Sabalenka. “Right now it sucks. But yeah, I just think being able to take this and turn it to a positive is really possible. Yeah, there is still a lot to be proud of and still tons of tennis to play this season.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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