France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has been forced to withdraw from the upcoming Rotterdam Open due to injury.
The 32-year-old was leading Lucas Pouille 6-1, 5-5, in their semifinal clash at the Open Sud de France in Marseille on Saturday before retiring from the match. Tsonga picked up a left leg injury, which he is set to undergo further tests on. Shortly after his retirement, he confirmed that he will be unable to defend his title in Rotterdam.
“I went to see the doctor, I’m going to withdraw from Rotterdam,” he said in a press conference. “I have depression on my muscle (left thigh), which means that there is a tear, I have to do additional exams to find out more … What is certain is that there is a tear – it’s all about whether it’s big or small.”
It is the second time this month that the world No.19 has been troubled by injury. He also recently withdrew from his country’s Davis Cup tie against the Netherlands due to a knee strain. Prompting the Frenchman to re-evaluate his schedule.
“I’ve reached a moment in my career where I need to make some choices about when I play,” admitted Tsonga
As a result of his Rotterdam absence, Tsonga will shortly drop out of the top 25 in the Emirates rankings. It will be the first time he has done so since January 2008. The same month when he reached his first and so far only Grand Slam final at the Australian Open.
Tsonga has been ranked as high as fifth in the world back in 2012. So far in his career, he has participated in 40 grand slam main draws and won 12 ATP titles.
This year’s Rotterdam Open will feature a quartet of top 10 players. The draw will be headlined by Roger Federer, who will return back to world No.1 if he reaches the semifinals of the event. Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev and David Goffin are also participating.
