Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from this year’s Australian Open just eight days before the start of the tournament.
The 25 year-old Osaka who won in Melbourne in 2019 and 2021, has not played on the WTA Tour since September and has slipped to 42 in the world rankings.
Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska has now been promoted to the main draw in her place.
A number of star names, including 42-year-old seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, and Spain’s world number one Carlos Alcaraz, have already withdrawn from the tournament which begins on January 16 in Melbourne.
The Japanese four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka retired from her second-round match as she defended the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September.