Tim van Rijthoven will not defend his title at the Libéma Open later this month. The 26-year-old tennis player from Roosendaal has been struggling with an elbow injury for some time and has now withdrawn from the tournament in Rosmalen, where he surprised friend and foe last year by winning the final.
“It is with pain in my heart that I had to cancel,” Van Rijthoven said in a statement. “I did everything I could to be fit in time and wanted nothing more than to defend my title. Unfortunately, my elbow needs more time to fully recover.”
A major setback for the Roosendaler, who made his final breakthrough last year with his striking victory. In the final, he was too strong for world top Daniil Medvedev in two sets. Moments later, there was a new highlight for Van Rijthoven, when he received a wild card for Wimbledon. There it was finally Novak Djokovic who turned out to be too strong in the fourth round.
Since then it has been a lot more difficult for Van Rijthoven. For example, he has been ailing with his back for a long time and now the persistent elbow injury is playing tricks on him.
It is also a setback for the Libéma Open. De Brabander’s place is taken by Jannik Sinner, the Italian number 9 in the world. The tournament starts June 10 and ends on the 18th.