Jo-Wilfried Tsonga not fit enough for the Australian Open
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga did the same to Roger Federer and canceled the Australian Open in 2021. The Frenchman hasn't recovered enough from a lower back injury.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Dec 30, 2020, 08:59 am
The 35-year-old has not played a match for almost a year. At the Australian Open 2020 he gave up in his first round match against Alexei Popyrin with a score of 6: 7 (5), 6: 2, 6: 1.
"Despite making great progress in the last few months, I am still not ready to compete," Tsonga wrote on his social media channels. "In coordination with my medical team, the Australian Open has therefore been canceled for me." In 2008 he reached the final in Melbourne, where he was defeated by Novak Djokovic.
"I'm looking forward to getting back on the tennis court, but I have to be patient," wrote Tsonga. The fact that he cannot travel to Australia breaks his heart. Tsonga is currently number 62 in the world and has won 18 titles on the ATP tour in his career.
The first Grand Slam of the new year has been postponed by three weeks and starts on February 8th. The strict entry regulations in Australia are intended to counteract the spread of the coronavirus. In the state of Victoria, new corona cases were diagnosed for the first time in a long time on Wednesday.
Six-time winner Federer withdrew at the beginning of the week because he is still recovering from two knee operations. It is unclear whether the Swiss will return to the field at all.