
Simona Halep (zimbio.com)
In three days time the 116th French Open will get underway, but the tournament already faces a dilemma following a series of injury issues hitting some of the biggest stars in the sport.
Many predicted that Simona Halep would be one of the main contenders for the Roland Garros trophy. On the clay, she successfully defended her title at the Madrid Open followed by reaching the final at the Italian Open. During a ten-match winning streak, the Romanian dropped just four sets. The French Open preparation was near perfect for Halep, until disaster struck during the Rome final.
“The MRI scan shows a torn ligament from the fall in Rome. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for RG and will do everything possible to be ready. Doctors say it’s 50/50 at the moment.” Halep confirmed on Wednesday.
The only consolation for Halep is that she is not alone. Defending champion Garbine Muguruza has recently been hindered by injury setbacks. After playing five games in the semifinals of the Rome Open, the Spaniard was forced to retire due to a neck problem. Whilst it an unwelcome injury scare ahead of the major in Paris, Muguruza still intends to play.
“It’s not very good, obviously, because it’s something that, I don’t know, you do a bad movement and suddenly your neck got stuck,” she said last week. “I didn’t know what to do, because I couldn’t really serve in there. But I’m, like, ‘I’m going to go on the court.’ I’m going to try. You know what? Maybe I can serve slower or something.”
World No.10 Agnieszka Radwanska has only managed to play one clay court match this season. Shortly after losing in the first round of the Stuttgart Open, she withdrew from the following two tournaments due to a foot injury.
““I’ve been struggling with my foot already for a couple of weeks – actually months, but now it’s getting worse again and clay is not helping.” 28-year-old Radwanska recently told the media in Madrid.
“It started last year but then it was off and then it came back again. It’s not getting any better, so I just want to make sure I can have a chance to be really 100 percent prepared for the French Open.”
This week has seen a series of high profile tournament withdrawals. Former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard withdrew from the Nurnburg Cup after pulling a ligament in her ankle, placing her Roland Garros campaign in doubt. Meanwhile, Caroline Wozniacki was forced to quit her match in Strasburg due to a back injury.
Stuttgart Open champion Laura Siegemund had her Paris dreams shattered on Wednesday. Playing in Nurnberg, she twisted her right knee during her match against Barbora Krejcikova. Leaving the court on a stretcher, it was later confirmed that she will miss the French Open.
The men have problems too
In the men’s draw, uncertainty has been cast over Juan Martin del Potro’s participation. The former US Open champion hasn’t played at Roland Garros since 2012 due to a series of injury setbacks. Yesterday, the popular player admitted that he is currently suffering from shoulder and back problems following his loss to Portugal’s Gastao Elias in Lyon.
“I have pain in my back and shoulders. I will make a decision soon on my participation at Roland Garros,” said the 28-year-old
Other doubts include world No.35 Viktor Troicki, who pulled out of this week’s Geneva Open due to a hamstring tear. Troicki reached the fourth round in Paris last year. Meanwhile, former top-10 player Nicolas Almagro is coping with the effects of a knee problem.
Finally, rising star Nick Kyrgios is nursing a hip issue. It first became visible during his match against Rafael Nadal at the Madrid Masters. Since then he withdrew from the Italian Open due to his hip and suffered a surprise loss to Nicolas Kicker earlier this week.
“The one thing I want to improve on is my health and my body. I got to get it physically right to stay healthy and play events.” He said.
Kyrgios is expected to play in Paris.