Alex de Minaur out, Matteo Berrettini in at Japan Open

Australia’s tennis star Alex de Minaur has withdrawn from the upcoming Japan Open.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.