More than a few big names are nursing injuries ahead of Thursday’s Australian Open draw ceremony and it’s not known if one will actually make the cut.
Stan Wawrinka pulled out of Wednesday’s Tiebreak Tens competition at Melbourne, reportedly due to a shoulder injury. The fact that it’s Wawrinka’s shoulder and not his surgically repaired left knee might come as a relief, but it doesn’t bode well for Wawrinka if he can’t play a ten-point exhibition less than five days before the draw.
Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza is also ailing. The two-time Wimbledon champion pulled the plug after reaching the quarterfinals of the Sydney International. It’s the second consecutive week that Muguruza has pulled out—she dropped out of Brisbane, retiring from her first-round match with Aleksandra Krunic due to cramping.
It’s hard to say if Muguruza is in serious trouble or if she’s simply satisfied with her form and pulling out for precautionary reasons, with the Australian Open so near.
Stay tuned. We’re also waiting on work from Novak Djokovic regarding his participation in the main draw. After the Serb played two exhibitions on Wednesday with no apparent health issues (albeit with a sleeve on his right arm and a new serve motion), it appears like that he’ll play.