Madison Keys missed most of the Middle Eastern swing last year due to not wanting to play post winning the Australian Open and took on more of a reduced schedule in 2025. But whether this remains into 2026 in regards to Keys deciding not to play more than the Australian Open until Indian Wells remains to be seen.
Top two still involved
So she will take some rest given also she doesn’t have the usual clause of being a teenager so she can’t play as many events. This also works in her favour in regards to picking and choosing. This means that she doesn’t have to play the events alloted to her simply because she is underage and she can now decide also defending not much until her Guadalajara points come off.
Also unlike for instance Lois Boisson further down who keeps rising despite barely playing, Boisson has to defend semi-final points and a title from Roland Garros and Hamburg respectively while Jovic has had little success prior to this in Grand Slams as a comparison point so won’t have to play this event.
Xinyu Wang, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Marie Bouzkova, Katerina Siniakova, Laura Siegemund and Daria Kasatkina are all now in the main draw as a result of withdrawals and the shifting up of places.
Both Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina (for now) are still in the tournament as are Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova as well as Coco Gauff. But likely more withdrawals are imminent, Sabalenka for instance is likely one to keep an eye on due to the fact that she often goes on holiday in between Australia and also was not exactly in the best frame of mind post Melbourne.
Rybakina presumably will still play as she bids to challenge the top two in the coming months.