The organizers of the Australian Open have confirmed that French world No.9 Richard Gasquet has pulled out of the tournament due to a back injury.
The 29-year-old aggravated an old back injury during this years International Premier Tennis Lauegue (IPTL). This year Gasquet missed almost two months of the tour due to an herniated disc in his back. Doubts about the Frenchman’s attendance at the first Grand Slam of 2016 were raised two weeks ago when he decided with withdraw from the Qatar Open due to his back injury. The Frenchman is yet to publicly speak about his decision to withdraw from the event after the news was broken on Twitter by the account of the Australian Open.
Sorry to report that @richardgasquet1 has withdrawn from the #AusOpen with a back injury. We wish him a speedy recovery.
— Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) December 29, 2015
It will be the first time that Gasquet hasn’t played in the tournament since 2005, when he withdrew due to Chickenpox. The withdrawal means that world No.102 Kyle Edmund will get direct entry into the tournament for the first time in his career. Last year Edmund won three qualifying matches to reach the main draw before losing in the first round to America’s Steve Johnson.
