Reigning champion of the Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka, will not be participating in the 2024 Qatar Open, commencing on Sunday, 11th February in Doha.
This marked the second consecutive year that the Belarusian chose not to compete in the WTA 1000 tournament, where she emerged victorious in back in 2020.
The 22nd edition of the women's tennis tournament is set to take place on outdoor hard courts at the International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha.
The event will showcase prominent female players including defending champion Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Ons Jabeur.
Sabalenka, presently holding the No. 2 world ranking, recently secured her Australian Open title in Melbourne, triumphing over Zheng Qinwen with a score of 6-3, 6-2 in last month's final.
Tennis journalist Jose Morgado confirmed Sabalenka's withdrawal on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday, 2nd February.
The 25-year-old has participated in the Doha Open three times since 2020. She claimed the title in 2020 by defeating Petra Kvitova in the final with straight sets. However, in 2021, she suffered a second-round loss to Garbine Muguruza in three sets.
In 2022, Aryna Sabalenka reached the quarter-finals of the competition, where she was defeated by World No. 1 and eventual winner, Swiatek, in straight sets.
It must be noted that Sabalenka became the first woman to retain the Australian Open title since compatriot Victoria Azarenka in 2013 by beating Zheng.
The Belarusian also became the fifth woman to win the Australian Open without dropping a set after Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Ash Barty.
The 25-year-old was also the second player in the Open Era to win her first two Women’s Singles Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open after Azarenka.
Another record that she clinched was that she also became the third player in the last 10 years to win the same Women’s Singles Major event for consecutive seasons after Serena Williams in Wimbledon (2015-2016) and Iga Swiatek at the Roland Garros (2022-2023).