Tennis: Nishikori pulls out of French Open with lower back pain
PARIS (Kyodo) -- Japan's former world No. 4 tennis player Kei Nishikori has withdrawn from the French Open because of lower back pain, his management company said Friday.
The injury-plagued 35-year-old had been scheduled to face reigning champion and current world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the first round of the tournament beginning Sunday.
The lower back trouble forced Nishikori to withdraw from his rain-interrupted second-round match against Russian Karen Khachanov at the Geneva Open on Wednesday.
Nishikori returned from a succession of injuries to make his Grand Slam comeback in January at the Australian Open, where he reached the second around.
Japan's former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka will take on 10th-seeded Paula Badosa of Spain in the women's first round at Roland Garros.
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Japan Times
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Not being afraid,' Alcaraz said. 'That's why I had my best tennis in crucial moments.' Despite having just lost a chance to win another major, Sinner showed great sportsmanship to give Alcaraz the point for a 30-0 lead in the 11th game. Alcaraz's forehand landed at the back of the court and, as the chair umpire prepared to come down and inspect the mark, Sinner told her to go back because he saw the ball was in. The crowd applauded him politely, but the noise level erupted when Alcaraz won the fourth-set tiebreaker to level the match. By now, the fans had what they wanted — an Alcaraz comeback — and fans showed their unbridled delight when he won points with astounding drop shots from deep or leapt to bang cross-court forehand winners. Alcaraz hit 70 winners, compared to 53 for Sinner, who might have been feeling like it was a case of déjà vu. Alcaraz beat Sinner in the French Open semifinals last year, coming back from 2-1 down in sets. He beat Sinner last month in the Italian Open final — the tournament where Sinner returned from his doping ban. Alcaraz now owns a 22-1 record on clay this year.
