Carlos Moya replaces John McEnroe at the Optima Open in Belgium – Tennis News
As the ATP Champions Tour returns to normality after a summer long break, sad news makes it to the press as former world number one John McEnroe pulled out from the 2011 Optima Open at Knokke-Heist, Belgium.
Scheduled to compete in the second edition of the Knokke-Heist event, his debut performance, McEnroe pulled out from the event after not having recovered from the injury suffered in the Rogers Legend Cup. Playing Michael Chang,
McEnroe injured his hip and lay down for a good ten minutes before he had to be carried off the court on a stretcher. McEnroe pulled out from the event which came as a disappointment to many especially since he was scheduled to play the American legend, Andre
Agassi next.
Disappointed himself, McEnroe said, "I am disappointed," ... "I have a good history in Toronto and I was very much looking forward to playing Andre."
Returning to the Champions Tour, McEnroe was scheduled to play old rival Bjorn Borg. A rivalry that has extended the boundaries of the court and made its way into the fashion world as well, the return of the American Swede couple
was the much anticipated matchup of the event. However, McEnroe’s retirement from the event has put a damper on these plans.
Saddened about letting his fans down, the American had this to say for himself, "I have been receiving treatment since the injury, but unfortunately there is no way that I will be ready in time to compete in Belgium this weekend.
While I am very disappointed that I will not be able to play in Knokke-Heist (especially against my good friend Bjorn Borg), I am pleased to announce that I will still be able to make the trip this weekend to support the tour and the tournament, by making
appearances for the sponsors, the official tournament charity, and meeting Belgian tennis fans.”
However, as McEnroe exits the event, Moya replaces him in the group joining Guy Forget and Henri Leconte. Group B at the event is made up of Mats Wilander, Bjorn Borg and Richard Krajicek. Moya, a former world number one and the
current number two on the ATP Champions ranking, will be opening at the event against Forget.
A debutant at the Knokke-Heist Open, Moya played his first match on the ATP Champions Tour in May when he competed at the Seguros Bolivia Tennis Champions in Bolivia. The Spaniard made it all the way to the final match before losing
to Mark Philippoussis in three sets. His next appearance was at the Grand Champions Brasil in Sao Paulo where he won the final match after defeating Thomas Enqvist in straight sets.
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