Stefanos Tsitsipas announced his withdrawal from the ATP Finals on Tuesday evening.
by Florian Goosmann
last edited: November 15, 2023, 12:07 a.m
Tsitsipas had given up his second group game against Holger Rune after just three games; Shortly afterwards he announced his complete withdrawal from the rest of the tournament.
However, not, as some people assumed, due to elbow problems that forced him to slow down a bit in the run-up to the tournament, but rather due to a back injury that he has been struggling with since Shanghai.
It was bitter for the audience, said Tsitsipas, and ultimately a shame that he didn’t cancel beforehand and give the place to someone else – specifically Hubert Hurkacz.
But: “My doctors, who I have seen in the past few days, suggested that I should play, they gave me the green light.” But he felt terrible on the court, even though he gave everything to be on the court. “I hate giving up matches. I’m not someone who likes to quit in the middle of a match. It’s extremely detrimental for me not to be able to finish this tournament – a tournament that I’ve been preparing for so long.”
Hubert Hurkacz can now take part
Tsitsipas and the ATP Finals, it’s not a love affair lately. The man from Greece won the tournament in 2019, and his other three participations ended in the group phase – as was the case this year.
Tsitsipas had recently shown improving form again, reaching the semi-finals in Antwerp, Vienna and Paris.
Hubert Hurkacz will now play the final group game against Novak Djokovic, but has no chance of making it to the semi-finals.
The Pole had already completed a show match against the second substitute Taylor Fritz after Tsitsipas’s task.
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2023-11-14 23:07:00
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