Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova has withdrawn from the Australian Open because of injury, opening up a spot in the draw for British lucky loser Harriet Dart.

Vondrousova, the Czech world No. 38 who has gone through three surgeries in her career, was forced to pull out in Melbourne on Monday because of an issue which she picked up in the Adelaide warm-up tournament last week. She was seen training with heavy strapping on her thigh ahead of her first-round match, when rain in Melbourne forced players to practice indoors Sunday.

“Heartbroken to withdraw from the Australian Open due to an injury I sustained in Adelaide,” Vondrousova, 25, wrote on social media. “I was looking forward to the tournament but health comes first. Thank you for your support and hopefully see you on court soon.”

Adelaide was Vondrousova’s first tournament since Wimbledon six months earlier, when she became only the third women’s defending champion in the Open Era to lose in the first round. A hand injury followed by shoulder surgery meant she missed the rest of the 2024 season before returning at the start of 2025. This latest setback is a cruel blow for a player whose leftie slice and variety make her a real threat to any player when she’s on song — as demonstrated by that Wimbledon win as an unseeded player two years ago.

Vondrousova’s late withdrawal meant that Dart, the world No. 112, was thrust in at the very last minute as a lucky loser. She plays qualifier Jana Fett after the conclusion of Jakub Mensik’s match against Nikoloz Basilashvili, which was already under way at the time of Vondrousova’s withdrawal soon after 11 a.m. local time in Melbourne.

(Mike Egerton / PA Images via Getty Images)