Stefanos Tsitsipas’ season got off to a shaky start when he pulled out of an ATP Cup match, before surprisingly returning to the court.
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Australian Open preparation hit a bump in the road when an elbow injury he suffered last year flared up and forced him to withdraw from his ATP singles match against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz on Sunday.
The Greek superstar pulled out of the match at the last minute, leaving world No. 1076 Aristotelis Thanos to fill in for him. But he was no match for Hurkacz, who trounced Thanos 6-1 6-2.
Watch Tennis Live with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. Live Coverage of ATP + WTA Tour Tournaments including Every Finals Match. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial >
In the other singles match, Kamil Majchrzak defeated Michail Pervolarakis 6-1 6-4 to give Poland an unassailable 2-0 lead in the Group D tie.
As his countrymen struggled in the singles, Tsitsipas watched on courtside with an ice pack strapped to his elbow — a far from encouraging sight just a few weeks out from the year’s first grand slam.
The 24-year-old said his decision to sit out the singles was purely a precautionary one to ensure he is fit for the Australian Open.
“The recovery from my elbow surgery in November is on track for Melbourne and today was a precautionary step to make sure I make Melbourne,” Tsitsipas said in a statement.
“We will see day by day, match by match until then.”
But Tsitsipas made the surprising decision to take the court and play the doubles, even though Greece had already lost the tie and it was a dead rubber.
He looked rusty at times but combined well with Pervolarakis to secure a 6-4 5-7 (10-8) victory over Hurkacz and Jan Zieliński.
“Surgery’s a serious thing,” Tsitsipas said after the match.
“I’m very disappointed I wasn’t able to play today and represent my country in the singles.
“I’m not playing as individual, and I would have love to go on court and play best tennis, but I decided to take it a bit easier playing the doubles. I feel great about everything, my doctor did a great job”.
In the other ATP Cup ties, Roberto Bautista Agut got Spain’s New Year off to a perfect start on Saturday with a crushing win over Chilean world number 17 Cristian Garin as he spearheads the team in Rafael Nadal’s absence.
The 33-year-old, ranked two places below Garin, barely broke a sweat in the 6-0, 6-3 win at the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, ensuring Spain won their Group A tie on day one of the season-opening tournament.
Spain’s number two, the 20th-ranked Pablo Carreno Busta, earlier came through 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) against Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo, battling back from 3-0 down in both sets.
Each tie comprises two singles matches and one doubles with the winning nation from each of the four groups making the semi-finals.
In the other morning tie, Argentina cruised past Georgia with world number 13 Diego Schwartzman annihilating 22nd-ranked Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 6-2.
His teammate Federico Delbonis enjoyed a memorable tournament debut by thrashing Aleksandre Metreveli by the same score.
With AFP
Originally published as Stefanos Tsitsipas’ bizarre call at ATP Cup amid Australian Open injury scare
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
