Richard Gasquet withdraws from Australian Open with back injury
Richard Gasquet has withdrawn from the Australian Open due to a back injury, tournament representatives announced Tuesday.
Gasquet, 29, is currently the No. 9 ranked player in the world.
His back flared up while playing in exhibition matches this month, and as a result, he also withdrew from the Qatar Open, which starts Monday. Gasquet also dealt with back injuries in 2010 and 2014. He lost in the third round of last year’s Australian Open, but put together a strong year in 2015, including a semifinal run at Wimbledon to return to the top 10.
The Frenchman is the third player to withdraw from the tournament, which begins Jan. 18, joining Juan Monaco and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Kyle Edmund of Great Britain will take Gasquet’s place in the draw.
- Jeremy Woo
