Hewitt playing it safe with Rogers Cup withdrawal

 

Originally published on: 09/08/10 10:21

Former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt has withdrawn from this week’s Rogers Cup in Toronto to focus on being fit for the US Open at the end of the month.

The 29-year-old Australian, currently No.30 in the ATP rankings, is set to receive treatment on a calf injury picked up in his first round match at the Legg Mason Championships in Washington.

And after a catalogue of injuries over the past couple of seasons, the 2001 US Open champion is determined not to rush back too soon and risk missing out on the year’s final Major.

Hewitt said on his website that he intends to play at the Cincinnati Masters, which starts on August 15, before heading to the US Open, which gets underway on August 30.

“It’s just one of those things that can happen and my focus now is to have treatment daily to enable me to play the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati and then the US Open,” he said. “It is not the best preparation for a Grand Slam event, but there is nothing else I can do.”

“He’s taken the medical advice not to play, it was a safety issue,” added his manager David Drysdale. “He’s just got a slight strain and he’ll start hitting again in the next day or two and he’ll definitely be playing in the US Open.”

John Isner will also not feature in Toronto this week. The world No.19 is thought to be suffering with fatigue.

Now get the WORLD’S BEST TENNIS MAGAZINE here