Injury and illness continue to dominate the headlines in the build-up to the Australian Open, with Stefanos Tsitsipas, Denis Shapovalov and Emma Raducanu among the latest big names to suffer setbacks.
Tsitsipas, a semi-finalist at Melbourne Park last year, withdrew from his opening singles match at the ATP Cup in Sydney to protect his right elbow. The Greek, who underwent surgery on the joint in late November, applied an ice pack to the area as he supported his team-mates from the sidelines. He insisted, however, that his decision not to face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz was purely precautionary.
“My elbow has been better than ever before,” said Tsitsipas, who eventually took to the court alongside Michail Pervolarakis, scoring a 6-4, 5-7, 10-8 doubles victory against Hurkacz and Jan Zielinski.
“I’m truly relieved that I’m able to feel normal again after years and years of suffering. The concern was kind of something that I expected, but it’s not serious. I’m just trying to protect it.
“I’ve been using some muscles that I haven’t been able to use before and it takes a little bit of time to get into the rhythm and get to the level I want to. If I’m not able to perform at 100%, for me there’s no reason for me to go out there and play. I might as well just give a chance to someone like Aristotelis Thanos, who is really willing to try his strengths against a top player like Hubert.”
Thanos was beaten 6-1, 6-2 by Hurkacz as Poland claimed a 2-1 victory in their Group D opener.
Tsitsipas, the world No 4, remains confident he will be fit in time for the Australian Open. “I had a doctor that did a great job and has worked with athletes with similar injuries,” said the Greek, who pulled out of the Paris Masters after suffering inflammation in his elbow and was subsequently forced to withdraw from the ATP Finals.
“I think with the right amount of training rehabilitation and time, time will show – time will give me the opportunity to fully have my arm healed and recovered from this tough surgery that I had. I think in one week’s time I’ll be very, very close to 100%.”
Raducanu, the US Open champion, has been forced to withdraw from the Melbourne Summer Set, a warm-up tournament for the season’s first slam, as she battles to recover full fitness after contracting Covid. The British 19-year-old, who only recently emerged from self-isolation, tested positive before the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, an exhibition event held in Abu Dhabi last month.
While Raducanu experienced only mild symptoms, completing her quarantine period in the Emirati capital before travelling to Melbourne, she said she was not yet ready for the match court.
“The timing to compete in the first Melbourne event this week is too soon for me, having just returned from isolation,” said Raducanu, who has been practising at Melbourne Park under the watchful gaze of her new coach Torben Beltz.
Raducanu, who is set to receive an MBE after she was named on the Queen’s New Year honours list, is scheduled to play in Sydney the week before the Australian Open.
Belinda Bencic, Ons Jabeur, Rafael Nadal, Andrey Rublev and Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya also contracted the virus after competing in Abu Dhabi, while Shapovalov tested positive on his arrival in Sydney.
Shapovalov, who has only just emerged from quarantine, pulled out of his opening singles match at the ATP Cup. Like Tsitsipas, the Canadian later competed in the doubles, partnering Felix Auger-Aliassime to a 6-4, 6-4 defeat against John Isner and Taylor Fritz as the USA ran out 3-0 winners in Group C.
“I’m disappointed not to be able to play the first match, but I just didn’t feel ready physically yet, so we did what is best for the team,” said Shapovalov.
Nadal, however, is preparing to play at the Melbourne Summer Set after recovering from the virus. The Spaniard will face either Marcos Giron of the US or a qualifier in the second round of the ATP 250 event. Nadal, the top seed, has been drawn in the same half as home favourite Nick Kyrgios.