Sweden’s Robin Soderling has been suffering from mononucleosis for a while now. The World No. 6 told his fans on Facebook yesterday he was very upset about having to withdraw from his hometown tournament If Stockholm Open.
Soderling took some time out after he won the title at the SkiStar Swedish Open in July this year after suffering from a wrist injury. Because of the injury he also withdrew from the ATP World Tour Masters Event in Montreal.
The 27-year-old travelled to the US Open but never made it on to the court for his first round match at Flushing Meadows. He released a statement saying he had been suffering from mononucleosis for a while.
The Swedish No. 1 had been looking forward to playing the If Stockholm Open but yesterday he left a Facebook message saying, “I’m extremely disappointed and sad right now. Playing in Stockholm is very special for me and it’s a title I still miss and dream about. I made an attempt to train, but my body just could not do it. I felt worse after practice and so had to make a tough decision to not play in Stockholm. I have to think long term and plan to play tennis for years to come. I believe the best days are in front of me. I will do everything I can to get through this difficult time and come back stronger and more motivated than ever.”
The Swede’s 65 000 Facebook followers were dealt another blow when Soderling’s agent released a statement saying that Robin Soderling will not play for the remainder of 2011.
We wish Robin Soderling all the best and 10sballs.com’s staff are looking forward to seeing him in Australia at the beginning of next year.
Top seeds at this week at Stockholm Open are Gael Monfils of France and Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina.