Tennis star Petra Kvitova will miss the upcoming Australian Open after announcing that she is expecting her first child with husband and longtime coach Jiri Vanek.
Kvitova is a former Australian Open runner-up and has won the Wimbledon twice.
It must be noted that Kvitova, 33, was part of the entry list for the January 14-28 Melbourne Park major.
"On the first day of 2024 I wanted to wish you a happy new year and share the exciting news that Jiri and I will be welcoming a baby into our family this summer," Kvitova said on X with pictures of the pair holding a sonogram and a onesie.
She added on Instagram that she would miss her annual trip to Australia.
"I'm looking forward to spending some time at home preparing for this exciting next chapter in our lives." Kvitova added.
Kvitova suffered defeat in the 2019 Australian Open final at the hands of Naomi Osaka, who returned to the tour earlier on Monday following 15 months out during which she had her first child.
Earlier, the Australian Open prize money was increased by 13% to A$86.5 million ($59.04 million) for the 2024 edition.
The players who are going to benefit the most from the raise are going to be those featuring in the earlier rounds and qualifiers.
The prize money at the Grand Slam has more than doubled over the last decade but the distribution of cash is more even as compared to previous years.
