BRISBANE—Former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka has been unable to receive a wild card into next week's tournament in Sydney and will instead go practice in Melbourne, TENNIS.com has learned.
After falling to Karolina Pliskova in the first round of Brisbane in more than three hours, Azarenka had asked to received a wild card into Sydney, but she was denied. The tournament instead gave wild cards to two Australians, Jarmila Gajdosova and Daria Gavrilova.
Azarenka won the 2012 Sydney tournament by defeating Li Na in the final, and then won the Australian Open for the first time. She would defend her title in Melbourne the following year.
Currently ranked No. 42, Azarenka says she is healthy once again and is ready to play more tournaments. Azarenka was hurt for much of 2014 and admitted to off-court depression.