Marketa Vondrousova withdrew from Indian Wells before her third-round match and has now followed suit by pulling out from the Miami Open.
The fourth WTA 1000 tournament of 2024 is scheduled to commence on March 19th at Miami Gardens in Florida. A 96-player field will compete to win the tournament, which was won by another Czech last year—Petra Kvitova.
The decorated defending champion will not compete at this year's tournament after announcing her pregnancy earlier this year. Vondrousova will join her compatriot on the absentees' list, citing personal reasons.
The 24-year-old was the eighth seed in the Miami entry list and the highest-ranked Czech player. But she has only played one match on the spring hard-court swing, beating Bernarda Pera 6-0, 6-2 in the first round of the Indian Wells Open about a week ago.
However, three days later, she did not show up to face Marta Kostyuk in the third round. The tournament confirmed that the 2023 Wimbledon champion pulled out without giving full details of her decision.
There has been speculation on social media. Some have mentioned that it could be related to a health issue. Vondrousova is obviously prone to injuries, having suffered quite a long list of ailments in the past few years.
Others have mentioned that she has lost a close relative. However, it is pertinent to note that this has not been verified by either Vondrousova or any close sources to the player.
After breaking the Top 10 last year following her Wimbledon success, Vondrousova has struggled to get going in 2024. She is 5-4 for the season, making just one quarterfinal appearance from five tournaments.
Vondrousova's withdrawal from Miami will benefit World No. 79 Yulia Putinseva, who will earn a main draw spot. The fiery Kazakh impressed in Indian wells, earning a pair of Top 20 wins over Ekaterina Alexandrova and Madison Keys before losing to Iga Swiatek in the fourth round.
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