Steffi Graf was the reigning champion, but did not participate due to an injury. AsMonica Seles was still recovering from being stabbed in the back on 30 April 1993, by a crazed fan of Graf, this was the first time since 1987 that neither Graf, nor Seles, played in the Australian Open. Two duo won 7 consecutive Australian Open titles from 1988 to 1994, with Graf winning the first three and Seles winning the next three.
This tournament marked the first main-draw major appearance of future world No. 1, five-time major singles champion, three-time (1997-1999) Australian Open singles champion, and 6-time (1997-2002) Australian Open singles finalistMartina Hingis; she lost in the second round toKyōko Nagatsuka.