Main-draw action at the Miami Open begins March 17 at Hard Rock Stadium after qualifying wraps up. Defending champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jakub Mensik will return after winning their maiden titles last year. Yet the buildup has been shaken as Novak Djokovic and other high-profile names withdraw.

Lois Boisson is the highest-ranked player from the original women’s entry list to withdraw from the Miami Open. The 22-year-old is currently ranked world No. 37. The French player also missed the BNP Paribas Open earlier this month. She has not played a professional match since September because of an injury.

Boisson’s spot in the main draw has been taken by Katie Boulter. The British player currently holds the world No. 64 ranking. Two more players also pulled out of the tournament. Oleksandra Oliynykova and Wang Yafan have both withdrawn.

Their places in the draw have been filled by Oksana Selekhmeteva and Anastasia Potapova. These changes added to the growing withdrawal list in the women’s event. Several big names have also joined the list of absentees. Marketa Vondrousova, Barbora Krejcikova, Karolina Pliskova, Daria Kasatkina, and Veronika Kudermetova have also withdrawn.

Krejcikova is a former world No. 2 and a two-time Grand Slam champion. Vondrousova, who won the Wimbledon Championships in 2023, is a former world No. 6. Pliskova is another notable name on the list. She is a former world No. 1 and has reached two Grand Slam finals in her career.

Kasatkina and Kudermetova have also achieved strong rankings during their careers. Kasatkina reached a career-high of No. 8, while Kudermetova climbed as high as No. 9.

On the men’s side, several ATP players have also withdrawn. Holger Rune, Tallon Griekspoor, and Jaume Munar pulled out well before the start of the tournament after missing Indian Wells. Rune and Griekspoor were expected to be among the seeded players in Miami. Their absence changed the projected seed list.

Later, Novak Djokovic also withdrew from the Miami Open because of a right shoulder injury. The 38-year-old is a six-time Miami champion and reached the final last year before losing to Jakub Mensik.

Reports suggest the injury is not serious. Djokovic is expected to return during the clay-court swing. By Thursday, two more players were added to the withdrawal list. Lorenzo Sonego and Jerry Shang also pulled out of the event.

The number of withdrawals has continued to grow since the start of the Sunshine Double. As a result, the Miami Open draw has been heavily reshaped before the tournament even begins.

Major withdrawals also hit the Dubai Tennis Championships before the tournament started

Just like the Miami Open, the Dubai Tennis Championships also witnessed a long list of withdrawals before the event even began. The situation highlighted the physical demands of the tennis season, only two months after it started.

Top stars Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek were among the biggest names to withdraw before the women’s singles draw was even made. Their absence significantly changed the field.

Other players also decided to skip the tournament. Karolina Muchova, who won the Qatar Open, and finalist Victoria Mboko also withdrew. The short turnaround between Doha and Dubai proved too demanding for both players. As a result, they chose to rest instead of competing.

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In total, 11 players withdrew from the entry list before the official draw was made. The high number of absences has already raised concerns about the tournament schedule.

Five more players pulled out after the draw but before their opening matches. Those players included Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Victoria Mboko, Karolina Muchova, Maria Sakkari, and Zheng Qinwen.

Withdrawals were also seen at the BNP Paribas Open. Filip Misolic became one of the first players to pull out of the tournament. Another notable absence was Tomas Machac. He continues to recover from a knee injury and has not yet regained full fitness to compete.

Pablo Carreno Busta also withdrew at the last minute from qualifying, just before the tournament began in California. Shang Juncheng, Lorenzo Sonego, Eliot Spizzirri, Hamad Medjedovic, and Jesper de Jong also withdrew. 

And as the Miami Open now faces similar issues, fans hope the tournament will still feature many big names in the draw.