Australian Open semi-finalist Hyeon Chung has been forced to withdraw from next week’s French Open due to an ankle injury.
The 22-year-old has been struggling with his health throughout the clay season, winning two out of his four matches. At the Madrid Open he only managed to win two games during his first round clash with Robin Haase in what was his latest match played on the tour. Since then, Chung has withdrawn from tournaments in Rome and Lyon prior to Roland Garros.
“Unfortunately I had to withdraw from Lyon yesterday and now Roland Garros,” Chung wrote on his Twitter account.
“I have been struggling with an ankle injury during the entire clay season. An MRI scan has revealed that I have build up of fluid in the ankle joint which might require a small procedure and then an extended period of rest.”
Coached by Neville Godwin, Chung became the first South Korean player to break into the world’s top 20 earlier this year. At the Australian Open, he became the first player from his country to reach the last four of a major in the Open era. Since then, Chung has managed to maintain his consistency on the tour by reaching the quarter-finals of his next four tournaments after Melbourne. He then reached the semifinals of the Munich Open before falling to Alexander Zverev.
As a result of his withdrawal, Chung will drop 90 points he was defending from last year. In 2017 he reached the third round at the French Open before losing to Kei Nishikori in five sets.
Spain’s Fernando Verdasco has now been promoted to a seeded position in the men’s draw. It will be his 15 consecutive appearance at Roland Garros. Meanwhile, Denis Shapovalov will be in the top 24 seeds. Meaning that he will not face a top eight player in the first week of the tournament.
Earlier this week, former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic also pulled out of the event due to a knee injury. The Canadian, who has now missed two out of the last three grand slam tournaments, has damaged his meniscus.
The French Open will start this Sunday. 10-time champion Rafael Nadal will be the top seed in the draw.
