Viktor Troicki’s place in Roland Garros in 2017 is in severe doubt. The Serbian was due to play in the Geneva tournament this week. However, the draw highlights that he was forced to withdraw before the start of his first round match with Janko Tipsarevic.
The reason listed by the site is that of a hamstring tear. It could prove to be a similar injury to the one that saw Canadian Milos Raonic miss a chunk of the season. The former Wimbledon finalist was forced to retire in the Delray Beach Final and again during the American spring Masters.
The citation of a tear rather than a strain for Troicki suggests a more serious injury than one might hope to expect to heal in a week.
The Lyon event was also hit by a spate of withdrawals. Steve Darcis moved to a career-high ranking of No.38 this week after winning the prestigious Bordeaux Challenger. The Belgian withdrew from the tournament this week with a right hamstring strain. Marcel Granollers was also forced out by an abdominal strain. Both these players could potentially be rated as day-to-day and likely just taking precautions ahead of the French Open. Nicolas Mahut also withdrew, but is just cited as fatigue.
The participation of former quarter-finalist Nicolas Almagro is severely in doubt. The Spaniard was forced to retire from his Rome Masters match with Nadal. Almagro hobbled away from the court with obvious discomfort in his knee. Almagro’s first round retirement against Jeremy Chardy at the Australian Open in January caused controversy after he played just four games before exiting.
