Former Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych has officially withdrawn from the entire North American hard-court swing as questions mount about when he will return.
Berdych, 32, hasn’t played a match on the tour since his first round defeat at The Fever-Tree Championships last month. A back injury has kept him sidelined from competition and forced him to miss the Wimbledon Championships for the first time since 2003. It is not the first time the Czech has been troubled by his back. In 2017 he ended his season early after doctors advised him to rest.
“I have been struggling with back pain for a couple of months now and have tried every possible treatment and medical solution in order to be able to keep on competing. Unfortunately things have not got better and all my attempts to be ready and healthy for the grass season were not successful.” Berdych has previously said in a statement.
On Wednesday it was confirmed that Berdych has pulled out of tournaments in Cincinnati, Toronto and Washington as well as the US Open. There is yet to be any comment from him concerning his series of withdrawals. Although a press release from the US Open confirmed the former top 10 player is still struggling with injury.
“Of the Top 100 men in the ATP World Tour Rankings, Tomas Berdych is the lone player to withdraw from this year’s event. The Czech will sit out due to a back injury.” The tournament website confirmed.
Berdych has won 13 ATP titles so far in his career with the most recent occurring at the 2016 Shenzhen Open. He has featured in 58 grand slam main draws and has been ranked as high as fourth in the world back in 2015.
As a result of his absence from the tour, Berdych is currently ranked 59th in the world. Should he exit the top 100 it would be the first time he has done so since January 2004.
