American tennis star Frances Tiafoe is withdrawing from the U.S. Open mixed doubles event due to an injury, the tournament announced on Monday, Aug. 24.
Tiafoe, who reached the Cincinnati Open finals and lost to Frenchman Arthur Fils on Sunday night, has struggled with a wrist injury for the last several weeks. The injury has been a recurring issue for the American star, who retired from his third-round match at the Canadian Open in Montreal on Aug. 6 due to a right hand injury, which doctors later discovered was a cyst.
He had surgery to remove the cyst a few days later and decided to play Cincinnati against medical advice. Tiafoe said after winning his semifinal match in Cincinnati, "They didn’t actually want me to play here. They want me to kind of get right and get ready for obviously New York. But obviously every athlete’s stubborn."
Tiafoe's withdrawal from the mixed doubles event is a significant blow for his partner, Canadian Leylah Fernandez, who was scheduled to play against top-seeded pair Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic on Tuesday, Aug. 25. However, after Tiafoe's withdrawal, Sabalenka and Djokovic will instead face doubles world No. 1s Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten, who won two qualifying matches to reach the main draw.
Tiafoe is still entered to play singles at the U.S. Open, where he reached the semifinals in 2022 and 2024. The tournament is set to begin on Monday, Aug. 31, with the mixed doubles competition taking place the week before.
For now, Tiafoe will focus on getting his wrist injury treated and preparing for the singles competition. The question remains whether he will be able to recover in time for the tournament, which is one of the most prestigious events in the tennis calendar.
The U.S. Open is a major event for tennis fans around the world, and Tiafoe's withdrawal from the mixed doubles competition is a significant development in the lead-up to the tournament. Fans will be eagerly watching to see how Tiafoe's injury affects his singles performance.
Source: Yahoo Sports