Sergiy Stakhovsky’s slow start to 2016 has been dealt another blow after he announced that he will miss four weeks of the tour due to a back injury.
The outspoken 30-year-old started the season at 62nd in the world but has now fallen outside of the top-100 following a series of poor results. Stakhovsky lost in the first round at five consecutive tournaments before defeating world No.25 Feliciano Lopez at the Rotterdam Open to grab his first win of 2016. More recently, in a Challenger tournament in Quimper, France, he reached the semifinals before losing to Andrey Rublev.
The Ukrainian played in this week’s Miami Open where he retired during his second round match against Jack Sock due to his back. Due to the ongoing back problem, he confirmed on Twitter that he will miss a month of the tour, putting his French Open aspirations in jeopardy.
I am forced to take a 4week break due to back injury… Will try to be back before @rolandgarros . #tennislove
— Sergiy Stakhovsky (@Stako_tennis) 28 March 2016
At the height of his career, Stakhovsky won four ATP titles between 2008-2010 and achieved a career ranking best of 31st back in 2010. He has defeated three top-10 players so far in his career, with his most recent triumph being against Stan Wawrinka at the 2015 Open 13 in Marseille.
