Chennai: Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic, the 2013 Singles Champion, has withdrawn from the tournament due to a rupture on the heel tendon he sustained in Valencia in October this year. The World No. 36 today said that he is still to recover fully from the two-month-old injury.
The 29-year-old is a regular at Aircel Chennai Open and one of the tournament’s favorites. Tipsarevic had earlier confirmed his presence at the US $450,000 tournament to stake a claim to the crown and kick-start his new season at the Aircel Chennai Open for the seventh year. The upcoming contest, known to be India and South Asia’s premier ATP World Tour tennis event, will mark the tournament’s 19th edition and is scheduled to be played at Chennai’s SDAT Stadium from December 30th 2013 to January 5th 2014.
At Aircel Chennai Open 2013, Tipsarevic had a dream start to 2013 when he captured the fourth ATP World Tour title of his career, defeating Bautista Agut (Spain) in three sets 3–6, 6–1, 6–3 here in Chennai.
While the top player continues to participate in top events around the world, niggling injuries have cut short his smooth runs at tournaments. The injury he sustained at the Valencia Open forced him to pull out after just three games against Marcel Granollers. Following this, the Serb was also forced to withdraw from the Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic.
Speaking about his withdrawal from the Aircel Chennai Open 2014, Janko Tipsarevic said, “I have had a difficult three months after injuring my heel. I felt I would recover well in time for the Aircel Chennai Open but regret to say that I will not be able to take part in the tournament. I apologize to fans who have always supported me and waited to watch me play during matches there. Chennai was always my favourite tournament to start the new season. I always felt very well in Chennai and love this tournament. I really look forward to recovering quickly and getting back to playing tennis soon.”
