French Open finalist Lucie Safarova out of Australian Open
Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic celebrates winning her semifinal match of the French Open tennis tournament against Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic in two sets, 7-5, 7-5, at the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris, France, Thursday, June 4, 2015. AP PHOTO/FRANCOIS MORI
MELBOURNE, Australia — The WTA Tour says French Open finalist Lucie Safarova has withdrawn from the Australian Open because of the lingering effects of a bacterial infection she picked up last year.
Safarova also tweeted: “As an athlete I’m used to fight on court to win. Today it’s off court to get my health back…”
The No. 9-ranked Safarova’s best Australian Open singles performance was the quarterfinals in 2007. She won the doubles title at Melbourne Park last year with American Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
The 28-year-old Czech player lost in the first round at Melbourne Park last year but followed up with a run to the final at the subsequent major in Paris, her best ever performance at a Grand Slam tournament.
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