Injury forces Mardy Fish to withdraw from Legg Mason Tennis Classic 2011 – Tennis News
Just moments before the Legg Mason Tennis Classic was about to get underway, it faced a major setback in the form of No.2 seed Mardy Fish’s withdrawal. The top American cited an injured heel, which had flared up in his last match
against Ernests Gulbis at Los Angeles, as the reason behind his decision to pull out.
Legg Mason Tennis Classic has faced a number of hiccups in churning out a successful tournament this year, not the least of which has been the loss of two high profile players other than Mardy from its draws. Andy Roddick, the
tournament’s top seed and three time former Washington titlist withdrew earlier because of an inflamed abdominal muscle and Juan Martin Del Potro also called it quits due to similar reasons. The lack of star power is sure to put off eager fans but the tournament’s
director Jeff Newman nonchalantly brushed this aside by saying, “The tournament is not about a particular player; it’s about the whole field, obviously we’d like to have Mardy here. But I think this is an opportunity for fans to see some international players
they haven’t seen in a while—Gael Monfils, one of the most exciting players in the world. And we still have John Isner and James Blake, among other Americans. The field is very strong.”
The Legg Mason has a storied and prestigious history and is considered by top players as the ultimate tune up event prior to the US Open. However Washington’s scorching and humid climate is known to take its toll on many players
and some have preferred to pass over it so that they can concentrate on getting in peak form before start of play at Flushing Meadows, where men’s matches are best-of-five sets.
Hence this injury might just prove to be a blessing in disguise for the World No. 8, who has been playing back to back in tournaments, which is sure to fatigue the seasoned player. The player finished runner up in Los Angeles and
won the title at Atlanta a little earlier in July. Talking about his loss at the Farmers Classic final last week, Fish conceded "I've played a lot of matches the past month and half, so he (Gulbis) came in a little bit fresher than me. I think that played
a part." He’s been scheduled to play in every US Open Series event in the run up to the Grand Slam and therefore could surely use the break. Fish will now join the rest of the men’s field in Canada after a week’s sojourn at the Rogers Cup in Montreal.
Fish’s withdrawal proved to be an elixir for lucky loser Wayne Odesnik, who despite losing in the qualifiers won Fish’s second seed spot, first round bye and flattering bracket because of his highest points in the qualifying round.
Similarly all’s not lost for the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. It still features excellent players like top seed Gael Monfils, the American veteran James Blake and John Isner and many others on its roster and they’ll without a doubt offer the tournament’s fans
with thrilling encounters worth more than what they spend on tickets.
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