Arthur Cazaux Withdraws from Australian Open with Elbow Injury

Australian Dream Dashed for Arthur Cazaux as Elbow Fracture Forces Late Withdrawal

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Adrien Guyot

le 17/01/2026 à 07h08

2 min to read

Blockx Alexander Cazaux Arthur Faria Jaime Open d'Australie

A tough blow for Arthur Cazaux. The Frenchman, ranked 67th in the world, will ultimately not participate in the first Grand Slam tournament of the season. While he was scheduled to face Portuguese player Jaime Faria in his opening match, the 2024 quarterfinalist has withdrawn from the Australian Open just hours before his first match.

The 23-year-old player waited until the last moment, but he is not at 100%. The culprit is an elbow fracture that has been causing him pain since the Brisbane tournament in early January.

During the second round of qualifying in the Australian city, he had to retire at the end of the first set against Pablo Carreño Busta. The Montpellier native has therefore withdrawn from the Australian Open and will do everything to return as soon as possible.

"I did everything possible to be able to play"

Cazaux wrote a message on social media to justify his withdrawal: "A small fracture in the tendon of the right elbow appeared at the Brisbane tournament at the beginning of the month, and it had already bothered me a lot last year.

I did everything possible to be able to play in Melbourne, but it's really too tight. I will return to Europe to receive all necessary treatments.

Naturally, I am very disappointed not to be able to participate in one of the biggest tournaments of the season, especially since it's a place that holds a special meaning for me, where I have good memories.

Blockx replaces Cazaux in the draw

But the priority now is to get treatment so I can return to the court, improve, and give my all again," wrote the world No. 67 on Instagram.

As a consequence of this withdrawal, Alexander Blockx is repêchéd and will compete in the tournament as a lucky loser. The young Belgian player, ranked 95th in the ATP and a recent finalist at the Next Gen ATP Finals, eliminated Marco Cecchinato and Alex Molcan.

But he could not finish his final match and was forced to retire against Jason Kubler in the last round of qualifying. He will face Faria for his very first match in a Grand Slam main draw.