The entry lists for the 2026 Australian Open, set for January 12 to February 1, have been released, and all the big names are gearing up for the first Grand Slam of the year. However, one of the three players missing from the January lineup is world No. 64 Danielle Collins, joining world No. 76 Ons Jabeur (maternity leave) and Holger Rune, (recovering from injury). But why is Collins absent this time around?

While there’s still no official explanation for Collins’ absence, the 31-year-old has quite the history with the Australian Open, making her missing from the lineup all the more noticeable.

Danielle Collins famously defeated several top players during her run to the 2022 Australian Open final, where Ash Barty made history by winning the title for Australia. But what really drew attention this year was the moment she was booed as she walked onto the court, before losing to Madison Keys 6-4, 6-4 in the third round. So what exactly happened?

The reaction came after a previous match in which the 31-year-old playfully blew kisses and even smacked her own backside toward the crowd. She joked afterward that the fans were basically “paying for her five-star holiday” and covering her bills, turning the tense moment into humor. Now, though, she won’t be heading to Australia, meaning she’ll have to find “alternative sources of income” for those vacations.

When Wide World of Sports reached out for answers, Tennis Australia said it didn’t know why Danielle Collins had decided to skip the event. Collins had once mentioned plans to retire in 2024 to start a family but returned to the tour after battling endometriosis, which complicated her decision.

Since her latest Australian Open appearance, Collins has played a full schedule, competing at multiple majors. She even exited the French Open in the second round, Wimbledon in the third, and the US Open in the first round, showing a mixed run of results throughout the season.

Now, the American star hasn’t entered any tournaments since her early US Open exit in August. Her best Grand Slam performance remains her run to the 2022 Australian Open final, where she fell to Barty 6-3, 7-6(2). And while Danielle Collins won’t be part of the action this year, plenty of other players are ready to seize the opportunity she’s leaving behind.

Carlos Alcaraz & Aryna Sabalenka headline AO 2026

Even with the absences, the tournament is stacked with star power. On the men’s side, Carlos Alcaraz is chasing a career Grand Slam, while on the women’s side, two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka headlines the field.

A total of 99 of the world’s top 100 men and 98 of the top 100 women are confirmed for Melbourne Park. For the world No. 1, getting past the quarterfinals will be a major test. Jannik Sinner enters on a mission to defend his Australian Open title for the third straight year, and as for Novak Djokovic, the 10-time Australian Open champion once again has a shot at capturing his 25th major title.

On the women’s side, Madison Keys faces the tough task of defending her crown against a stacked lineup. One of the top seeds, Iga Swiatek will be looking to take the title off her hands, while Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova are battling closely for the No. 3 seed.

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Naomi Osaka also enters the list at No. 16, and 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, ranked 18th on the list, is set to make her Australian Open debut. British star Emma Raducanu is also back in the mix and will be seeded for the first time since 2022, adding even more intrigue to the field. But that’s not all.

Rounding out the tournament are eight wildcards and sixteen qualifiers, completing the 128-player draws for both singles events. Three wildcards are already confirmed, with qualifying matches scheduled for January 12-15 at Melbourne Park. That said, do you think Danielle Collins’ decision to skip the 2026 Australian Open hints at a major career move?