7 players who will not play in Miami Open 2022 featuring Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer & Serena Williams

The 37th edition of the Miami Open kicks off on 21 March. Last year saw Ashleigh Barty winning the women's singles title while the ATP event had a surprise winner in Hubert Hurkacz.

The Pole stunned the Canadian duo of Denis Shapovalov and Milos Raonic to book his place in the quarterfinals. He beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals before triumphing over Andrey Rublev to reach his maiden Masters 1000 final. Hurkacz beat Jannik Sinner in straight sets to win the competition.

In the WTA event, World No. 1 Barty reached the final after beating Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina. She won the event after Bianca Andreescu was forced to retire due to injury in the second set of the final.

A number of top players will be competing in this year's Miami Open. The likes of Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are among the contenders for the title and will look to have a good run after disappointment in Indian Wells. Andrey Rublev has been in impressive form lately and is capable of challenging for the title as well.

In the WTA event, new World No. 2 Iga Swiatek will be the heavy favorite to win, especially after triumphing in two successive WTA 1000 events in Doha and Indian Wells. However, there are a number of players who can contend for the title. These include Indian Wells runner-up Maria Sakkari, Anett Kontaveit and Paula Badosa, all of whom have produced some impressive performances lately.

However, some very notable names will not take part in the tournament due to fitness issues, injury or other factors. Some of these are legends of the sport and their absence will no doubt be felt.

So without any further ado, let us take a look at seven top players who will not play in the 2022 Miami Open.

#7. Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem is expected to return to action during the clay court season

The Austrian cut his 2021 season short after suffering a wrist injury at the Mallorca Championships last June. Thiem has delayed his return to action on numerous occasions in the past few months and recently confirmed that he will skip the Indian Wells and Miami Masters to prepare for the clay season.

Thiem's inactivity on the ATP tour has seen his ranking drop to 50.

The 28-year-old is on the entry list for the Monte-Carlo Masters that starts on April 11.

#6. Ashleigh Barty

Ashleigh Barty will not be defending her title in Miami

The World No. 1 had a spectacular start to 2022, winning the Adelaide International 1 followed by the Australian Open. She went on to win the tournament without dropping a single set. Barty became the first Australian to win the Grand Slam since Chris O'Neil in 1978.

The 26-year-old won the last two editions of the Miami Open but will not defend her title this year as her body has not recovered from the Australian Open the way she wanted it to. Due to this, she also missed the Indian Wells Open.

With Australia replacing Russia in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, Barty is expected to make her return in the team competition.

#5. Venus Williams

Venus Williams last played a match in August 2021

The veteran's last match came at the Chicago Women's Open last August, where she lost to Hsieh Su-wei. Since then, Venus has not competed in a match. As a result, her ranking has fallen to 470th in the world.

The 41-year-old has not played a single match in 2022 and will also miss out on the Miami Open, which she won thrice in her illustrious career. Venus recently said that she would make a return to the WTA tour, but did not specify when.

#4. Serena Williams

Serena Williams last played a match in Wimbledon 2021

Like her sister, Serena Williams has also been inactive for the last few months. The American featured in a handful of tournaments last year with a run to the semifinals of the Australian Open being her best performance of 2021.

Serena reached the fourth round of the French Open before losing to Elena Rybakina. She then competed at Wimbledon but was forced to retire during her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich due to an injury. She has not played a match since.

Serena's prolonged inactivity from the WTA tour has seen her ranking fall to 240th in the world. The 40-year-old will not compete at the Miami Open and it remains to be seen when she plans to return to action.

#3. Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is missing the Miami Open

A six-time winner at the event, the current World No. 1 is the only player on this list who will miss the Miami Open due to reasons other than fitness. Djokovic's unwillingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19 has seen him miss a few big tournaments this year and he could miss many more in the forthcoming months.

The Serb's only tournament so far this year was in Dubai, where he reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual runner-up Jiri Vesely. The 34-year-old was dethroned from the top spot in the ATP rankings after his quarterfinal loss but reclaimed it after Daniil Medvedev's early elimination in Indian Wells.

Djokovic is scheduled to return to action in the Monte-Carlo Masters.

#2. Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal will not feature in the Miami Open this year

The King of Clay is the most recent player to have withdrawn from the Miami Open. Nadal was on the entry list for the tournament but pulled out to rest ahead of the clay season.

The Spaniard entered the Indian Wells Masters as the fourth seed and reached the final of the competition, thus taking his record to 20-0 this year. However, he was beaten by Taylor Fritz in straight sets, bringing an end to his winning streak. Nonetheless, Nadal's performance saw him rise to World No. 3 in the rankings.

#1. Roger Federer

Roger Federer in Wimbledon last year

A four-time champion at the Miami Open, Federer won't be featuring in the competition for the second year in a row. The 40-year-old last played at Wimbledon 2021 where he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Hubert Hurkacz. The Swiss skipped the remainder of the season due to a knee injury.

Federer is yet to play a match in 2022 and as a result, his ranking has dropped to 26th. The 20-time Grand Slam champion plans to return to action later this summer or autumn.