Sebastian Ofner Withdraws from Mallorca Tournament Due to Foot Issues

Austria's top tennis player, Sebastian Ofner, has faced a setback at the Mallorca grass tournament, where he had reached the finals the previous year. The 29-year-old from Styria was forced to withdraw from his first qualifying match against Argentina's Mariano Navone while trailing at 6-4, 6-7(6), 1-3. Ofner's decision to retire was attributed to recurring foot problems that have plagued him recently.

In a tense matchup, Ofner missed four match points during the tiebreak at 6-2, which significantly impacted his performance. He expressed that the pain in his foot had increased, particularly on grass surfaces, although he reassured fans that it was not a major concern. He had anticipated some difficulty, as similar issues had arisen earlier in the season.

Despite this disappointment, Ofner confirmed his participation in the upcoming Wimbledon tournament. He expressed optimism that the time before Wimbledon would allow him to recover sufficiently for a couple of matches. Drawing from his experience, he noted that taking time off is often the best remedy for such injuries, and he looks forward to returning to grass and hard court play.

As a result of his early exit from the Mallorca tournament, Ofner will lose the 165 points he earned as a finalist last year, complicating his ranking situation. However, he indicated that he has no immediate pressure, as he has several protected ranking options available and does not have points to defend for the next three-quarters of a year.

In other tennis news, Lucas Miedler, participating with his Portuguese doubles partner Francisco Cabral at the ATP 500 event in Halle, faced elimination in the semifinals. Miedler, who celebrated his 29th birthday on the day of the match, lost to the top-seeded duo of Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz, finishing with a score of 6-7(6), 4-6.