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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga wycofał się z udziału w rozpoczynającym się w poniedziałek turnieju ATP World Tour 250 w Dausze. Dla Francuza miał być to inauguracyjny start w sezonie 2018.

Niesamowity wyczyn Scotta Searsa. Szwagier Andy'ego Murraya zdobył samotnie biegun południowy
- To bardzo niefortunne, że Tsonga, francuska gwiazda tenisa, nie będzie mógł być z nami podczas nadchodzącej edycji imprezy - poinformował dyrektor turnieju w Dausze, były znakomity marokański tenisista, Karim Alami.
Dziennik "L'Equipe" poinformował, że przyczyną decyzji Jo-Wilfrieda Tsongi nie jest kontuzja. Francuz uznał, że po sezonie 2017 potrzebuje nieco więcej odpoczynku i dlatego zrezygnował z występu w Dausze. Zmagania w nowych rozgrywkach ma zainaugurować w Australian Open.

Rezygnacja Tsongi, którego miejsce w głównej drabince zajął Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, to rozczarowanie dla organizatorów, ale i bez Francuza obsada turnieju Qatar ExxonMobil Open wygląda imponująco. Nowy Rok w Katarze powitają chociażby Novak Djoković, Dominic Thiem czy Tomas Berdych.

Turniej rangi ATP World Tour 250 w Dausze zostanie rozegrany w dniach 1-6 stycznia na kortach twardych. Tytułu będzie bronił Djoković.

BRISBANE International organisers say they remain confident Andy Murray will be ready to make a comeback from injury, as planned, at Pat Rafter Arena next month.

British media reports emerged on Thursday casting fresh doubt over the pace of Murray’s recovery from a hip injury in time for his Australian campaign.

The former world No 1 was still in London on Thursday, having returned last Tuesday from training in Miami when he tried to step up his preparations.

Murray expressed an original plan to be in Australia before Christmas but his departure have been delayed.

PREPARATION: Raonic arrives early in Melbourne

Inquiries by Brisbane organisers have led them to believe that Murray will fly out from London after Christmas.

As one of the top four Brisbane men’s seeds receiving first-round byes, the dual Rafter Arena champion would not play his first match on January 3 or 4.
Brisbane International organisers are confident Andy Murray will play in the tournament.

Former world No. 3 Milos Raonic, whose wrist and calf injuries resulted in his ranking falling to No. 24, skipped next week’s exhibition event in Abu Dhabi to set up a practice base in Melbourne.

Murray, 30, has not played an tournament since Wimbledon in July and became one of the five top-five players from the 2016 year-end rankings who were all sidelined well before the end of the 2017 season.

It is possible that Murray could delay his departure to Australia and play his first match at the Australian Open on January 15, but he would surely want to play an ATP Tour event before tackling the best-of-five set Grand Slam format.

Murray was not on the now-closed entry list for the doubles in Brisbane — an event that may have tempted a player returning from injury.

The Scot has been having drill sessions with coach Jamie Delgado in London, but is yet to practice with a highly-ranked current player.
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Ash Barty exclusive

One outcome would be that Murray flies to Brisbane and assesses the condition of his hip in practice at the Queensland Tennis Centre before making a final decision.

Raonic, who hit tennis balls with Australian cricket captain Stev Smith in a sponsor’s promotion, told reporters he came to Australia to focus on his preparation for the year’s first Grand Slam event.

Lead-up plans for the Australian Open for both Serena Williams and Stan Wawrinka are still unconfirmed.

Wawrinka (knee) also pulled out of next week’s Abu Dhabi exhibition headlined by Brisbane-bound Rafael Nadal and ATP Doha entry Novak Djokovic.

Raonic would be sixth seed for the Brisbane International, which he won in 2016, and he would be loath to scratch from an event he has played in each of the past three summers.

The big Canadian is defending quarter-final ranking points at both the Brisbane International and the Australian Open.

Originally published as Murray still on track for Brisbane

BRISBANE International organisers are confident there will be impending arrivals from Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray to dispel injury fears and headline the tournament next week.

Reports casting doubt over Nadal’s recovery from right knee soreness started last week when the world No. 1 pulled out of an exhibition in Abu Dhabi this week and took at least four days off practice.

With Christmas over, Murray will resume practising in London for a day or two before flying out to Brisbane, where he will play his first tournament since July and test the recovery of a hip complaint in match conditions.

Brisbane tournament organisers expect the current and former world No. 1s to be in Brisbane in good time for their first matches at the Brisbane International.

Nadal and Murray would not play before Wednesday because they have first-round byes as two of the top-four seeds.

“I expect Rafa and Andy to arrive in Brisbane to start the 2018 year,” tournament director

Cameron Pearson said on Wednesday night.

“That’s what our communication with both teams of the players has been over the past few days. Nothing has really changed.’’

Not taking into account other factors, Murray, 30, would appear to be the more vulnerable of the two men to an early-round loss at the Queensland Tennis Centre.

Nadal, 31, played seven tournaments after Murray dropped the curtain on his season, including his triumphant US Open run.

Murray’s hip complaint will be a challenge to manage this year and a former Wimbledon champion, Pat Cash, admits he wonders why the tough Scot wants to put his body through another year of punishment given his accomplishments.

Cash played professionally to the age of 32 but had several injuries sideline him after he won Wimbledon at 22.

“It’s a mystery to me why Murray does not just hang his racquet up and enjoy life. He must love it,” Cash told London’s Daily Express.

“You have your long-term health to think of. My hip is gone, my back is gone. I can play a bit of doubles but there are very few tennis players who get away with not having to limp around for the latter part of their life.

“I felt I still had something to give but I just could not get going. Some guys fade away because they are sick of it, some guys get injured.’’

Like Nadal, the 2016 Brisbane champion Milos Raonic pulled out of the Abu Dhabi exhibition, but is expected to be ready for his first-round match.

Raonic, who dropped from the top-five to No. 24 in the rankings over a year cruelled by wrist surgery and ended by a calf injury, set himself up for training last week in Melbourne.

Nick Kyrgios, the prospective fourth seed, returned to training at the QTC on Boxing Day after having Christmas off in Canberra and practised again there yesterday.

Kyrgios has trained with his regular doubles partner Matt Reid and had the welcome training assistance of a four-day Davis Cup camp early this month.