Tennis News

After announcing that he will play singles along with doubles at the Indian Wells Masters event this week, Juan Martin del Potro has once again withdrawn from another tournament as a precaution for his healing wrist.

Del Potro’s withdrawal comes days after Jo-Wilfried Tsonga confirmed that he is yet to return to the tour, and hours after it was announced that Gael Monfils (knee) and David Goffin (rib).

“I felt a slight pain on my rib during my Davis Cup match, so I decided to withdraw from the Indian Wells tournament to cure myself,” Goffin wrote on Facebook. “I will be back to competition in Miami where I will be 100% physically.”

Del Potro made his return to tennis for the first time since February 2014 last week in Sydney. While few expected much, he managed to reach the quarter-final round at the Apia Sydney International, where he was the defending champion. He defeated Sergiy Stakhovsky and followed up with a three-set win over Fabio Fognini before losing to Mikhail Kukushkin the following round. However, he withdrew from the Australian Open soon afterwards and was under the knife just a few days later.

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While Del Potro expects to compete in singles competition in Miami, he has signed up for doubles competition alongside fellow injured star Marin Cilic at Indian Wells. It was a low-key way to gauge their recovery.

On Monday afternoon, it was announced that former world No. 1 and two-time major champion Amelie Mauresmo would lead the latest class to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The remainder of the class include Paralympic medalist David Hall, Nancy Jeffett.

“I’m honored and humbled to be selected for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Tennis has been my passion for as long as I can remember. I extend my gratitude to the selection committee for recognizing my career in this way,” commented Mauresmo, who was a singles champion at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. “It’s an extraordinary honor to have my career celebrated alongside the greatest champions of our sport, people who I have admired so greatly all my life.”

Since 1955, the honor of induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame has been presented to just 240 people representing 21 nations. Located in Newport, Rhode Island, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of tennis. The Class of 2015 will be honored with tribute exhibits in the Hall of Fame’s museum, which is currently undergoing a $3 million renovation to offer tennis fans a new, engaging, state-of-the-art experience. The museum will re-open in May.

“Amelie and David were both inspiring and highly accomplished competitors on the professional tours. Nancy’s commitment to tennis has been integral to the growth of the sport and will leave a permanent positive impact on tennis for years to come,” commented Hall of Fame President Stan Smith, who also serves as chairman of the Enshrinee Nominating Committee. “We look forward to celebrating their many accomplishments and contributions to tennis by presentation of our sport’s highest honor- induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.”

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Caroline Wozniacki completed an impressive week on the WTA tour on Sunday afternoon when she lifted her first title of the season at the Malaysian Open.

The tournament’s top seed faced adversity for the first time during her week-long stay in Kuala Lumpur when she was required to rally back from a set down to defeat the valiant Alexandra Dulgheru in the final. After a difficult opening set that she lost, the Dane bounced back to snatch the second set, and then stormed to the finish line after breezing to a 5-0 lead in the third set. The final score was 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

“I think she played well the whole match,” Wozniacki said (via WTA). “She tried to play aggressive and take the ball early. But I knew she had a tough match yesterday, so I just kept playing my game and kept trying to put pressure on her. I think I stepped it up in the second and third sets, and it paid off.”

This was Wozniacki’s 23rd career WTA title.

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With most of the world’s top competitors focused on the Indian Wells event next week, Wozniacki will be happy to carry this sort of momentum into the “fifth slam.”

“I think things have been going my way. Things are great,” Wozniacki said. “I’m excited for Indian Wells. It’s one of my favorite tournaments of the season, so hopefully I can play well there.”

In the doubles final, Liang Chen and Wang Yafan defeated third seeds Yuliya Beygelzimer and Olga Savchuk 4-6, 6-3, 10-4 to lift the title.