Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has withdrawn as a late injury victim from the Capitala World Tennis Championship after injuring himself in training, to be replaced in the six-man field by Spain`s David Ferrer.
|Last Updated: Dec 30, 2009, 05:42 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Abu Dhabi: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has withdrawn as a late injury victim from the Capitala World Tennis Championship after injuring himself in training, to be replaced in the six-man field by Spain`s David Ferrer.
"I`m extremely disappointed not to be able to participate in the Capitala World Tennis Championship due to an injury," said Tsonga, the 2008 Australian Open finalist who will now be on the back foot in his preparation for the Grand Slam starting January 18 in Melbourne.Ferrer helped Spain to a fourth Davis Cup title a month ago in Barcelona during a sweep of the Czech Republic. Spanish teammate Rafael Nadal also makes up the weekend exhibition field in the Gulf along with Roger Federer, Nikolay Davydenko, Stan Wawrinka and Robin Soderling.
Number 17 Ferrer is due to open play Thursday in the emirate against Davydenko, winner a month ago of the ATP year-end event in London.
"It`s great to have the opportunity to play in Abu Dhabi and I am very much looking forward to getting the season underway," said the Spaniard.
"Davydenko is always a tough opponent, particularly considering how well he has been playing lately, and I`m looking forward to playing him again."
A Ferrer win would produce an all-Spanish semi-final against Nadal, who along with Federer receives a bye into the last four of the three-day event starting Thursday."Rafa and I are great friends it would be fantastic to meet him in the semi-final," said Ferrer. "Rafa said the stadium atmosphere in Abu Dhabi last year was very exciting and he received a lot of support from the Spanish fans."
"It`s something I`m looking forward to experiencing."
Thursday`s second match features French Open finalist Soderling of Sweden against Swiss Wawrinka.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.