Former Grand Slam champion ruled out of 2026 Australian Open

January 13, 2026 Oliver Obel

Max Purcell will not appear at this year’s Australian Open, with the Australian doubles specialist still serving a suspension that has kept him away from the sport at a crucial stage of his career.

Purcell, a former Wimbledon and US Open men’s doubles champion, remains banned until June 11, 2026 a timeline that rules him out of both the Australian Open and the French Open.

BBC reporting from April 2025 said the 27-year-old accepted an 18-month suspension after breaching tennis anti-doping regulations. He had already been provisionally suspended since December 2024.

The case arose after Purcell admitted to using a prohibited method by receiving intravenous vitamin infusions that exceeded permitted limits in December 2023. Under the World Anti-Doping Code, athletes are restricted to a maximum of 100 millilitres of intravenous fluid within a 12-hour period.

In a statement issued at the time, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said: “The limit under the World Anti-Doping Code and TADP is 100ml in a 12-hour period. Following a full investigation by the ITIA, which included evidence gathering and interviews with the player, Purcell admitted to the breaches.”

The agency added: “The player's full co-operation and information sharing with the ITIA allowed for a 25% reduction in sanction.”

BBC coverage noted that, once time already served was taken into account, the suspension extends into mid-June 2026, preventing Purcell from returning in time for the opening two Grand Slam tournaments of the season.

Purcell later described the personal strain of the process. “This case has been going on for months, seriously affecting my quality of life,” he said in a social media post, adding: “I was nothing but cooperative with the ITIA.”

His continued absence comes as the Australian Open prepares to open the 2026 Grand Slam calendar at Melbourne Park. Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys return as defending singles champions, with Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Taylor Fritz expected to be among the title contenders.

In the doubles events, Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten hold the men’s title, while Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend are the reigning women’s champions. Olivia Gadecki and John Peers return as mixed doubles winners, alongside wheelchair singles champions Alfie Hewett and Yui Kamiji.

The suspension has stalled what had been a period of renewed momentum for Purcell. He won the Wimbledon men’s doubles title in 2022 with Matthew Ebden and added a US Open doubles crown in 2024 alongside Jordan Thompson, results that had re-established him as one of Australia’s most dependable doubles performers before the ban intervened.

Sources: BBC, International Tennis Integrity Agency

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