Australia’s tennis star
Alex de Minaur has withdrawn from
the upcoming
Japan Open. The ATP 500 event will be played in the capital of the
Japan, Tokyo, between September 25 to October 01 where some of the top players
will participate and battle to secure the ultimate prize.
As per the recent report, De Minaur will not take part in
the competition. It is not clear why the 25-year-old’s withdrawal from the mega-event is not clear, but it is believed that the decision was made because
of a fitness concern. The current world number 11 has struggled physically this
season as he was forced to withdraw just before the start of the quarterfinal at
Wimbledon against Serbia’s legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic. His most
recent appearance was in the US Open, where he was knocked out of the
competition after losing in the quarterfinal to Britain’s Jack Draper in
straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-5, 6-2.
Despite his absence, there will be a host of stars who will
play in the competition, including defending champion America’s Ben Shelton. The
world number 17 won the title last year after beating Aslan Karatsev in the
final in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-1. Other notable players who will
take part in the competition include the likes of US Open 2024 runner-up Taylor
Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, Norway’s Casper Ruud, Poland’s
Hubert Hurkacz, Denmark’s Holger Rune and Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime.
However, none of the top players, such as Italy’s Jannik Sinner, Germany’s Alexander Zverev, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, will participate in the competition. Fritz also lifted
the title in 2022 when he defeated fellow American Tiafoe in the final in
straight sets with a score of 7-6, 7-6. In the absence of De Minaur, Italy’s Matteo
Berrettini has been handed a spot in the draw. He originally replaced Portugal’s
Nuno Borges in the draw.