Richard Gasquet withdraws from Australian Open citing knee injury

Richard Gasquet has withdrawn from the upcoming Australian Open, the first grand slam of the tennis calendar due to a knee injury. The announcement was made by the tournament organizers on Saturday.

READ: Serena Williams Powers Into The Auckland Open Final

Gasquet announces withdrawal

The French player believed that he would be able to recover in time for the tournament but has not been able to do so. The 33-year old has been battling the knee injury for a while.

Australian Open will begin on January 20 and will go on till February 2. 

READ: Keys Beats Kvitova To Reach The Brisbane International Final

Gasquet is the third withdrawal in the men's category after Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro announced that they will not be competing as well. Del Potro is also suffering from a knee injury and his withdrawal was announced on Saturday. Murray, on the other hand, had stated in December that he has suffered a setback in the recovery process from a hip injury. In a statement, he said, "Unfortunately, I’ve had a setback recently and, as a precaution, need to work through that before I get back on the court, competing."

READ: Andreescu Withdraws From Australian Open With Knee Injury

In the women's category, Canada's Bianca Andreescu announced that she will be withdrawing since she is also suffering a knee injury. In a tweet on Saturday, the 19-year old said, "It was a very tough decision to make as I love to play in Melbourne but I have to respect the recuperation plan for my knee and body. My rehab is going well, I feel better and stronger every day but after discussing it with my team and following the recommendation of the doctors, the Australian Open is unfortunately too soon in my rehab process."

READ: Djokovic Defeats Medvedev In Thriller To Send Serbia Into ATP Cup Final