With the qualification rounds now concluded, the main draw of the US Open is finally set to begin on August 30. But several notable players will miss the tournament this season from both the ATP and WTA circuits. The most notable player to pull out is none other than Jannik Sinner, who isn’t participating because of a right knee injury. But now the 2022 US Open finalist, Casper Ruud, has also withdrawn at the last minute, making the men’s draw even less competitive.
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Ruud has withdrawn from the Grand Slam due to a back injury. He has been replaced by Arthur Gea in the draw, who has entered the main draw as a lucky loser. He will be taking on Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the first round. While Ruud may be one of the highest-ranked players to pull out of the competition, his withdrawal doesn’t come as much of a surprise.
The Norwegian has been struggling with his form and fitness for some time now. His results took a dip at Wimbledon, where he was eliminated in the first round by Hubert Hurkacz. Ruud then had a forgettable US swing as he got knocked out of the second round of the National Bank Open by Joao Fonseca. The Cincinnati Masters didn’t prove to be any better, as he retired mid-match against Christopher O’Connell while trailing 7-5, 1-2.
The back injury was the reason behind it all, and that is why there were serious doubts over Ruud’s participation in the US Open. The 27-year-old signed up for both the singles and mixed doubles events. He played alongside Diana Shnaider but didn’t appear to be at his physical best. Though the pair did rack up a 4-2, 4-1 victory over Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz in the first round, they went down to Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev 4-1, 4-5, 10-5.
The withdrawal from the US Open brings an end to Ruud’s disappointing US swing. The World No. 20 will be hoping to return as soon as possible, as there are still several important tournaments remaining on the Tour until the end of the season.
Ruud and Sinner aren’t the only prominent players to have withdrawn from the tournament. Jack Draper won’t be playing in the tournament either because of a bone bruise in his left arm. Having suffered the arm injury at last year’s US Open, the Brit has still not been able to fully recover from it, and this has led to many withdrawals.
Another notable ATP player who is not participating in the US Open is Joao Fonseca. He suffered an abdominal injury at the Cincinnati Masters and is yet to make a full recovery. That is why he has decided to pull out of the Grand Slam.
On the WTA side, Victoria Mboko, Emma Raducanu, and Hailey Baptiste are among the most notable withdrawals. All of them are currently recovering from their respective injuries and are yet to regain match fitness.