Today marks the opening of the new season's Australian Open, starting with the qualifying rounds and leading up to the main draw on January 12th, which will continue until January 26th.
According to official Australian Open news, this year's total prize pool has reached 96.5 million Australian dollars, an increase of nearly 12% compared to 2024. The singles champion will take home a prize of 3.5 million Australian dollars, and even those who exit in the first round of the main draw will receive a prize of 132,000 Australian dollars.
The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam event of the new season, but for two-time Grand Slam winner Krejcikova, it means missing out on participation.
The Australian Open has officially confirmed that Krejcikova, currently ranked tenth in the world, has withdrawn due to a back injury. She emphasizes that this injury has been plaguing her since last season and has not fully recovered this year, thanking everyone for their support.
As a result, Krejcikova becomes the first top 10 player to withdraw from the new season's Australian Open.
Last year, Krejcikova won the Wimbledon championship, securing a spot in the year-end finals in advance. She was eventually eliminated in the semifinals by Zheng Qinwen, and with her fourth-place finish, she returned to the top ten rankings in the world.
Now, Krejcikova is unable to compete in the new season's Australian Open due to injury and will likely fall out of the top ten again.
As the runner-up of last year's Australian Open, Zheng Qinwen, after being deducted 1300 points, fell from fifth to seventh in the world rankings but remains in the top 10. Her upcoming participation in the Australian Open presents an opportunity to fight for points and improve her world ranking.
Currently, Zheng Qinwen is confirmed to participate in the Australian Open as the No. 5 seed, which means she could potentially face one of Sabalenka, Swiatek, or Gauff in the quarterfinals. To progress further, the draw is also crucial.
Therefore, Zheng Qinwen's ideal draw would be to avoid Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Gauff, preferably drawing against the No. 4 seed Polini, who is her favorite opponent among the top 10. In four encounters, Zheng Qinwen has maintained a perfect record, showing a clear advantage. If she reaches the quarterfinals and faces Polini, it would be akin to being guaranteed a place in the semifinals.
Of course, Zheng Qinwen's earlier draws should also be favorable, such as avoiding opponents like Muchova, Putintseva, and Vekic. In summary, for Zheng Qinwen to challenge for the Australian Open title, besides relying on her own strength, she also needs to hope for a good draw, as luck plays an important role.