World number four Stefanos Tsitsipas withdraws from ATP Finals

Stefanos Tsitsipas has pulled out of the ATP Finals after managing an elbow injury for the past few weeks became too much for him to bear.

Tsitsipas has become the second player to withdraw from this year’s finals in Turin, Italy as Italian fan-favourite Matteo Berrettini pulled out after suffering an abdominal injury in his match against Olympic gold medallist Alexander Zverev.

Compatriot and 20-year-old sensation Jannik Sinner replaced Berrettini to make his Finals debut, becoming the youngest ATP Finals competitor in over a decade.

Sinner went on to beat World number nine Hubert Hurkacz in his first match and dedicated his victory to Berrettini in a heartfelt post-match press conference.

Indian Wells Masters champion Cameron Norrie, who narrowly missed out on the final qualifying position after enjoying his best ever season, replaces Tsitsipas as the second alternate. World number 12 Norrie will face World number eight Casper Ruud in his opening match.

Following his withdrawal from the ATP Finals, Tsitsipas told Sky Italia “I have taken the very difficult decision to retire from the 2021 [Nitto ATP] Finals due to my elbow injury, which has been bothering me for a couple of weeks now.

“It’s a very difficult decision from my side and I was working really hard this year to get to play the Finals and be part of this amazing event, but unfortunately I won’t be able to continue.”

Tsitsipas also withdrew from his opening Paris Masters match against Alexei Popyrin, revealing that he had been suffering through the pain for a while and had pulled out as a precaution ahead of the ATP Finals.

In a Facebook post published after his Paris Masters exit, Tsitsipas said “injuries are our best teachers of how much love we have for a sport, and yesterday I had to exit a match due to inflammation in my elbow that I have been dealing with for some time now.

“I have been silently competing for a few tournaments now and coping with the injury, but at a certain point I need to prioritize my health to have longevity in the sport that is very near to my heart.

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