Inaugural ATP Cup 2020 Hurt by Too Many Injuries
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The elite ATP players are set to commence their 2020 season at the inaugural ATP Cup 2020 in Australia. However, there are a few players who are sidelined from the event due to their prevailing injuries or personal reasons.
The ATP Cup is a 24-nation competition, where the teams are divided into six groups of four teams each. The tournament is scheduled to take place between 3rd and 12th January 2020, being played in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.
However, some of the top playing nations receive a major setback ahead of the ATP Cup as their top-ranked players are suffering from an injury or have some personal reasons to not participate in the event.
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Roger Federer
Federer is the highest-profile player missing from the inaugural edition of the ATP Cup. The Swiss maestro was due to play the competition as Switzerland was qualified. However, the 38-year-old pulled out of the event in a bid to spend more time with his family.
Federer’s withdrawal also led to the disqualification of Switzerland from the event. No Swiss player is ranked in the top 100 except for Federer and Wawrinka – who are not participating in the competition.
“It pains me to not be a part of the most exciting new event on the calendar. But this is the right thing to do if I want to continue to play for a longer period of time on the ATP Tour,” Roger Federer said.
“I have decided that the extra two weeks at home will be beneficial for both my family and my tennis.”
Kei Nishikori
World No.13 Kei Nishikori also pulled out of the ATP Cup 2020 as he is yet to fully recover from right elbow surgery. The 30-year-old has not played since his third-round loss at the US Open 2019.
He then underwent minor elbow surgery in October, which sidelined him from the ATP Tour. He will also miss the 2020 Australian Open in order to recover from his surgery.
“Today, together with my team, we have made this decision as I’m still not 100% ready to compete at the highest level,” Nishikori said in a statement earlier.
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Andy Murray
Former World No.1 Andy Murray pulled out of the 24-nation tournament due to a pelvic injury. The Scott sustained the injury while playing for Great Britain at the Davis Cup Finals 2019.
According to reports, Murray’s pelvic bruising has taken a long time to recover than expected. Hence, Murray’s team decided not to rush his return at the ATP Cup.
Matteo Berrettini
Next-gen star Matteo Berrettini has been struggling with an abdominal injury and has pulled out of the ATP Cup 2020 as he needs more time to recover. The decision is being seen as a precautionary measure in order to remain fit for the Australian Open 2020.
Richard Gasquet
Gasquet had a tough 2019 season as he missed the first four months after undergoing surgery at the beginning of the year. Gasquet is struggling from a knee injury that he sustained during the Swiss Indoors Basel 2019. The Frenchman ended his 2019 season prematurely ahead of the Rolex Paris Masters 2019.
Lucas Pouille
The Frenchman is struggling with an elbow injury for quite some time, which forced him to pull out of the ATP Cup 2020. Pouille will also be sidetracked from the tour for the whole of January.
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The World No.22 ended his 2019 season prematurely as he pulled out of the Rolex Paris Masters and Vienna to focus on healing his elbow injury.
Yasutaka Uchiyama
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Rising Japanese star also withdrew from the ATP Cup 2020 due to an injury. This was a big blow for Japan as they will enter the tournament without two of their three top-ranked players.
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