Tokyo Olympics 2020: Belgium’s David Goffin pulls out of Games due to injury-Sports News , Firstpost

File image of David Goffin. AP

David Goffin, the Belgian number one who is 20th in the ATP rankings, announced on Tuesday that he would not play at the Olympics because he has not recovered from an ankle injury.

“The tournament starts on 24 (July), I still haven’t picked up the racket,” he told French-language broadcaster RTBF. “The Olympics will be too soon for me this time.”

“It’s not good news because I was determined to take part in these Games, even in these very special conditions, at a venue that suits me well,” he told Le Soir newspaper.

Goffin joins several high-profile players who have already withdrawn from the Olympics.

Canadian world number five Bianca Andreescu said Monday she will skip the Tokyo Olympics, citing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Dominic Thiem all pulled out earlier while others such as world number one Novak Djokovic are wavering.

Newly crowned Wimbledon champion Djokovic said on Sunday he was “50/50” over playing in Tokyo, citing disappointment over the decision announced last week to bar spectators from the event.

Goffin was injured at the Halle tournament in Germany in mid-June and was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon.

He said he was suffering from a micro-dislocation in his ankle, coupled with a ligament strain.

The Belgian said he hopes to be back in shape “for the American tour in August” and is aiming for the Cincinnati tournament (15-21 August) which precedes the US Open (30 August-12 September).

“I started training again a week ago and I’m happy with the progress. I’m happy with the way things are going,” he said.

The 30-year-old Belgian competed in the Olympic Games in 2012 in London, losing in the first round to Argentina’s Juan Monaco and in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, where he went out in the round of 16 against Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci.

He was hoping to play in his third Games in Tokyo, a city that has done him well with a title won in 2017 and a final played the previous year.