Suffering from a wrist injury she picked up during the US Open, Sania had given time for the injury to heal. But it took the Indian ace a little over ten minutes to end the suspense surrounding her pullout on Monday. She hit a few balls with Indian Fed Cup coach Enrico Piperno before announcing her decision to the WTA.
Jill Hausler, who is the WTA Senior Manager, Marketing, told the media that Sania has withdrawn from the tournament and read out the Hyderabadi's statement on her withdrawal.
“I was really looking forward to participating in the Sufeast Open. I'm very upset this injury is keeping me away from the courts. My fans have always been very supportive and I was keen to perform well in Kolkata. I wish all the players especially the Indian compatriots a great and exciting tournament.”
But for her millions of fans, it certainly won't be exciting, especially after the tennis icon's brilliant run in recent weeks. Five wins over top-20 players had powered her to a career-high ranking of 27.
The WTA official also added that Sania will not be penalised for pulling out at the last minute. "She has also pulled out of next week's Korea Open, hopefully she will be fit for the Japan Open starting on October 1," Hausler said.
"Indonesia's Sandy Gumulya will take Sania's place in the main draw," said Fabrice Chouquet, the WTA Tour Supervisor.
Sachin's visit on
Meanwhile, Globosport, the event managers of the Sunfeast Open, confirmed that Sachin Tendulkar will arrive to add gloss to the event. With the BCCI set to name the captain of the Indian cricket team on Tuesday following Rahul Dravid's resignation, there were doubts over Tendulkar's arrival.
“Even if he can't make it on Tuesday, he will definitely come during the course of the tournament,” said Mahesh Bhupathi.