{"id":297075,"date":"2023-11-14T18:24:48","date_gmt":"2023-11-14T18:24:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tellmysport.com\/?p=297075"},"modified":"2023-11-14T18:24:48","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T18:24:48","slug":"tsitsipas-apologises-to-atp-finals-fans-after-boos-as-injured-star-left-gutted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellmysport.com\/tennis\/tsitsipas-apologises-to-atp-finals-fans-after-boos-as-injured-star-left-gutted\/","title":{"rendered":"Tsitsipas apologises to ATP Finals fans after boos as injured star left gutted"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Stefanos Tsitsipas has issued an apology to the fans at the ATP Finals after he was forced to retire injured just 17 minutes into his round-robin match against Holger Rune. The world No 6 revealed that he had been given the green light to play from doctors but felt something during the warm-up. Tsitsipas was booed by the crowd when he forfeited the match, and he has since pulled out of the tournament altogether.<\/p>\n

Tsitsipas\u2019 ATP Finals campaign ended in disappointment on Tuesday as he had to retire while 1-2 down against Rune. There had been speculation that the 25-year-old was injured ahead of the tournament but he successfully took to the court on Sunday, losing 6-4 6-4 to Jannik Sinner and later shutting down the rumours.<\/p>\n

This time, the pain was too much to handle for the 2019 ATP Finals champion as he made the difficult decision to stop entirely. But the fans weren\u2019t happy, booing and whistling as Tsitsipas shook hands with Rune and the umpire. Tsitsipas has since apologised for retiring, admitting it \u201ckilled\u201d him to stop a match.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy apologies to all the fans and the crowd that came to support me today and watch the match,\u201d the 10-time title winner later said. \u201cI’m really gutted that I wasn’t able to finish the match. It’s a shame also not to give that spot to someone else to at least try and do something with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Just in <\/strong> ATP Finals crowd boo Fritz as injured star fills in after Tsitsipas retirement[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Tsitsipas also clarified that he had been under the impression that he was fine to try and play. He continued: \u201cMy doctors and the countless visits that I had in last few days suggested that I play, gave me the green light to go and try it for myself, so\u2026 Unfortunately, I felt terrible on the court. I did what I could do in the best possible way to be ready and fit for this match, but it didn’t work out for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hate retiring from matches. I’m not the kind of person that likes leaving mid-match. It kills me not to be able to finish this tournament, the one that I’ve prepped for so long, made sure that I’m completely fit to perform at my best and show my capacities as a player.\u201d Tsitsipas also explained that he had already been playing through pain and struggling with his movement although he was able to play a full match on Sinner on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI practised the last few days,\u201d he explained. \u201cI didn’t spend a lot of time on the court. I had a little bit of trouble with my movement. It’s mainly affected when I move. It’s difficult to compete in the match without having to move. This is tennis. This is not darts. For me, it’s important to be fit and feel good with my back. The pain was very big. I’ve gone through pain during matches in the past, and I endured pain, but this was clearly too much to handle. I had to take the difficult decision to do what I did.\u201d<\/p>\n