Former champion Richard Gasquet pulled out of the season-opening Qatar Open on Thursday due to a back injury, which could also threaten his participation in the Australian Open, local media reported.
Frenchman Gasquet, the world No. 9, aggravated his long-standing back problem at the International Premier Tennis League exhibition event, the Gulf Times reported.
Gasquet, 29, won the 2013 Doha title when he defeated Nikolay Davydenko of Russia in the final.
Photo: EPA
The Qatar Open gets under way on Jan. 4, with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal set to take the top two seedings.
Meanwhile, Australia’s first-round Davis Cup World Group clash with the US in March is to be played on grass at Kooyong in Melbourne in a tie marking Lleyton Hewitt’s debut as captain.
The former home of the Australian Open is to host its first Davis Cup showdown in 10 years from March 4 to March 6 on a portable grass court, organizers said on Thursday.
“To play Davis Cup in Melbourne, the home of tennis in Australia, at a club like Kooyong with so much tennis history is a privilege,” Hewitt said. “The tie against the United States is going to be tough. It will be my first tie as captain, and I’ll be looking to help the boys build on the momentum and progress of 2015.”
The US and Australia are the two most successful nations in Davis Cup history. The US have won a record 32 times, while Australia are second overall with 28 wins.
Australia’s most recent tie against their archrivals was in 1999 when Hewitt made his Davis Cup debut.
Alongside Pat Rafter, he led his country to a 4-1 World Group quarter-finals victory over the US, whose team included current captain Jim Courier.
Hewitt retires as a player following next month’s Australian Open, after which he will focus his attention on working with talented youngsters Bernard Tomic, Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis in his new role as Davis Cup captain.
Kooyong last hosted the Australian Open in 1987.
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