Tennis: ASB Classic loses second place as Holger Rune withdraws from the tournament

The ASB Classic has suffered a blow to the men’s field when world number 11 Holger Rune withdrew from the tournament.

The Danish star was supposed to enter the tournament in second place behind Norway’s Casper Ruud, but he will now not appear in the tournament in Auckland. Instead, Rune has gone straight to Australia to begin his preparations for the Australian Open later this month on the practice courts.

Runes’ withdrawal from the tournament, confirmed by his manager to Denmark’s Ekstra Bladet, means Cameron Norrie will become the second seed, while American JJ Wolf will take his vacant spot.

The two special exemption spots saved in the men’s draw have also not been filled, meaning French veteran Richard Gasquet and Serbian Laslo Djere will also join the main draw.

It is the latest blow to Auckland’s less-than-ideal return to the tournament, as wild weather has heavily affected the women’s tie and forced some matches to be played indoors without fans. The solution may be needed again throughout the men’s tournament, which starts on Monday, with wetter weather forecast for the coming week.

The move to the indoor court had to be made in order for the tournament to proceed on schedule, but several players have expressed concern about it because the available courts are limited, meaning playing days can be extended and the surface can be long. play differently than outside.

On Thursday, 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu had to withdraw from her match against Viktoria Kuzmova after suffering an ankle injury late in the second set. Raducanu won the first set of the match 6-0 before dropping the second 5-7 and eventually having to call it quits.

It’s hard to take, Raducanu said. I have been doing a lot of physical work in the last few months and I have been feeling good and optimistic. So it’s pretty disappointing to spin the ankle if he’s stopped by a freak injury. Also in the first week I thought I was playing pretty decent tennis.

The fields were incredibly slippery, like very slippery. So, honestly, it’s no surprise that this happens to someone. It is out of my control and after a long day of waiting.

Her comments come behind runner-up Sloane Stephens. He noted that going from the outdoor court to the slicker, lower-bouncing indoor courts was like playing in two different tournaments, given the differences in the playing surface.

However, not all players have shared this view when dealing with the indoor solution. Third place Leylah Fernandez felt the wet weather option was up to standard.

We have a court, a net and a tennis ball. That’s all we need, Fernandez said.

I’m just happy that we have a chance to play tennis and get the tournament going. It would have been more complicated to wait another day outside, not knowing what the weather will be like, we can’t control the weather. So I’m really happy that the tournament has these options and that I was able to play my match and I did well.