Former finalist Tomas Berdych has been forced to withdraw from next month’s Wimbledon with a back injury.
The 32-year-old Czech reached his only grand slam final at Wimbledon in 2010, losing to Rafa Nadal, and has been a semi-finalist for the last two years at the championships that begin on July 2.
“I am disappointed to inform you that I was forced to pull out of the Wimbledon championship,” Berdych wrote on Twitter.
“I have been struggling with back pain for a couple of months now and have tried every possible treatment and medical solution, in order to be able to keep on competing.
“Unfortunately, things have not got better and my attempts to be ready and healthy for the grass season were not successful. I had to take a tough decision and give my back the necessary rest and treatment for the next couple of weeks.”