Top 100 Men and Top 98 Women to Participate in 2011 Australian Open
The 2011 Australian Open organizers have recently announced that the top 100 men in the Association of Tennis Professionals and top 98 women from the Women’s Tennis Association will be taking part in the first Grand Slam of the
year. The unusually strong turnout guarantees that the January event will have one of the best-ever fields of competition.
World No. 1 Rafael ‘Rafa’ Nadal will be fighting for a chance to win his fourth consecutive Grand Slam, while World No. 2 Roger ‘the Maestro’ Federer will be fighting for his fifth Australian Open championship and 17th
Grand Slam title.
From the WTA, No. 1 Caroline ‘Sunshine’ Wozniacki will be chasing her first Major title. If she wins the event, it will go a long way in helping her rebut her critics, who are questioning of her right to the World No. 1 title.
Former top player and defending champion, Serena Williams will choose to sit this one out because of a foot injury which has kept her out of tournaments since Wimbledon 2010. The American tennis pro had initially planned to make her comeback at the event,
but was unable to do so as a result of this injury.
In total, there are 104 direct acceptances into the men’s draw for the tournament. These include 2009 US Open winner Juan Martin Del Potro and Russian pro Dmitry Tursunov, who are both qualifying for the tournament with injury
protected rankings.
The women’s draw, meanwhile, consists of 107 direct acceptances. Notable omissions are Elena Dementieva of Russia, who retired at the end of this season, and World No. 37 Agnes Szavay from Hungary, who has withdrawn due to injuries.
Tournament director Craig Tiley issued a statement saying, “To have the top 104 players in the world in the men’s main draw in is incredible and shows the high esteem with which the Australian Open is held in world tennis. The
women’s field also has every available top player in the world.”
The men’s field will consist of 16 qualifiers with eight wild cards, while the women’s final draw will be completed by 12 qualifiers and eight wild cards.
The Australian Open, held at Melbourne Park, is scheduled from the 17th to the 30th of January, 2011.
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