This years French Open will have some big names who will not be playing. Some will not play because of the global pandemic, some because of injuries, and others because of personal choices. No question that these players will be missed in Paris, and hopefully we can see them soon once again. Here are the big names from both genders who will be out of this years Roland Garros.
Roger Federer
The 2009 French Open champion has been out since February when he underwent knee surgery. The last time Federer played was at this years Australian Open where he lost to Novak Djokovic in the semi-final. According to his coach, Severin Luthi, he expects the Swizz star to return by next years Australian Open. He also said that his rehab is going well and hasn’t had trouble in training. There is no question that he is the biggest name that will be absent at this year’s Roland Garros. Many people around the world are constantly aware of his games and he will be missed this year.
Nick Kyrgios
The Aussie will not be attending this Grand Slam as he said in a recent interview he doesn’t feel comfortable since their will be fans in the stadiums. The cases in Paris has risen and Kyrgios doesn’t think it is safe to travel and play in stadiums with crowds. He believes the French Open organizers aren’t taking the pandemic serious. His style of play will definitely be missed even though he has only reached the third round of this tournament twice in his career. Also, he will be missed by his comments and what he will do next on the court. The bad boy is full of drama and controversy that attracts the attention of people.
Juan Martin Del Potro
The big friendly giant underwent a right knee surgery last month in Switzerland. This is his third surgery in that same knee. The 2009 US Open champion has been plagued with major injuries in his career. It is a shame that he will be missing this tournament as he went to the semi-finals twice in his career. He has not played since 2019 at the Fever-Tree Championships where he played Denis Shapovalov in the first round. His talent will definitely be missed as he is one of the few that contested against the big three.
Jo-Wilfred Tsonga
The French player announced earlier this week that he will miss this event due to the back injury that left him out of the Australian Open this year. His back injury still hasn’t recovered and he is planning to return until next year. Sadly, Tsonga has been hit hard with injuries since 2017. He was once number five in the world and had a promising future. Hopefully he can recover soon and see his great talent.
Naomi Osaka
The current US Open women’s champion will miss this event with her hamstring still being sore. The Japanese star has been facing this injury for some weeks now and due to the schedule, she will not have time to recover and prepare herself for the French Open. Last year, she made it through the third round where she lost to Katerina Siniakova. Her powerful and heavy hitting will be missed at this years Roland Garros.
Kim Clijsters
The two time French Open finalist will miss this Grand Slam deciding to spend more time with her family. The Belgium is coming out of retirement earlier in the year and will be missed. She attracted a lot of attention at this years US Open and many were waiting to see her back at a Grand Slam. She was expected to play in Rome as well but has decided to focus on her family.
Ashleigh Barty
The ladies world number one is the biggest name who will not attend the French Open. Coronavirus is the reason that she will not be playing at this Grand Slam. She also didn’t play in the United States for the same reason. Due to the global pandemic, she hasn’t been able to train with her coach. In Australia, they have state border closures to prevent the virus from spreading and that has impeded her from training with her coach. It is sad that she will not be defending her title won last year.
In summary, these players will be missed in a year that is undoubtedly sad, crazy, and full of surprises. The French open will be without these big stars, but it will definitely be a good one as the active players is still a strong field. no question that there will be huge upsets and surprises along the way. Lets just hope the tournament can go underway with no complications and finish with no positive Covid-19 cases from players nor fans.
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