5 players who will miss Dubai Tennis Championships 2025 ft. Naomi Osaka, Madison Keys

This year's post-Australian Open swing is ripe for some interesting narratives. The WTA Tour will next travel to the Dubai Tennis Championships, which begins next week on Monday (February 17). The 1000-level event promises to be a cracker after the Abu Dhabi Open and the Qatar Open saw some high-quality tennis.

While top players such as Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff will participate in Dubai, a few usual faces are missing from the women’s singles field.

Here is the list of five players who will sit out of the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships:

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#1 Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka retired midway through her Australian Open 3R match (Source: Getty)

Naomi Osaka had initially started her 2025 WTA Tour season with a rich vein of form, reaching her first final in more than two years at the ASB Classic. And while the former World No. 1 impressed fans with her third-round result at the Australian Open, her campaign ended on an unfortunate note as she was forced to retire due to abdominal strain while trailing Belinda Bencic by a set.

Osaka then withdrew from the Abu Dhabi Open in February citing the above injury. She hasn’t entered the women’s singles draw at the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships, meaning that she will miss another tour-level event.

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#2 Madison Keys

Madison Keys secured her maiden Major title in Melbourne (Source: Getty)

Madison Keys won her maiden Major title at the Australian Open against all odds, beating World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and World No. 2 Iga Swiatek en route to the triumph. The World No. 7 skipped the ATX Open the following week due to the WTA rule that mandates the entry of only one top 10 player at a 250-level event.

Keys subsequently didn’t play at the Qatar Open and the Abu Dhabi Open. She was on the entry list for the Dubai Tennis Championships next week but withdrew recently due to a right leg injury.

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#3 Barbora Krejcikova (2023 Dubai Tennis Championships winner)

Barbora Krejcikova hasn't played competitively since WTA Finals 2024 (Source: Getty)

Barbora Krejcikova enjoyed a great season on the WTA Tour in 2024, winning her second Major title at Wimbledon and reaching the semifinals of the year-end championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

However, the Czech has been on the sidelines since the beginning of the 2025 season due to a lingering back injury. Therefore, the World No. 11 has withdrawn from the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships.

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#4 Danielle Collins

Danielle Collins hits a forehand at Australian Open 2025 (Source: Getty)

Danielle Collins, who was initially supposed to retire at the end of the 2024 season, decided to prolong her career into this year, much to the tennis universe’s delight. That said, the American hasn’t made a dent on the pro tour this year, losing in the first round of the Adelaide International and the third round of the Australian Open.

The World No. 14 pulled out of the Qatar Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this month due to a foot injury.

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#5 Katie Boulter

Katie Boulter looks on at Australian Open 2025 (Source: Getty)

Katie Boulter has had a disappointing campaign on the WTA Tour so far this year. While the Brit guided Team Britain to the quarterfinals of the United Cup, her Australian Open campaign ended early, as she crashed out in the second round of the Melbourne Major.

The World No. 24 hasn't played on the pro tour since then. She withdrew from next week's Dubai Tennis Championships due to an undisclosed injury.