World No. 2, Dinara Safina of Russia, has been forced to pull out of next week’s Dubai Tennis Championships because of ongoing back problems.
She said on her website, “Unfortunately, I will not be able to play the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships this year because of the back injury that’s been bothering me since the end of last season. I wish the tournament the best of success on its 10th anniversary and hope to be back next year, as it’s one of my favorite events.
Thanks to all my fans for their support during this difficult period. Keep checking my site for updates on my recovery.”
Recall that she had to retire during her fourth-round match against compatriot Maria Kirilenko last month at the Australian Open. See Safina Retires With Injury. The 23-year-old Safina said she is hoping to come back at the Indian Wells tournament in California, USA, starting on March 8.
Safina lost her No. 1 ranking for the second time after retiring hurt during her first match at the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Qatar in October, and revealed then that she had been struggling with the problem for three months. Forced to withdraw from her scheduled opening event of 2010, the Brisbane International, Safina was then beaten by compatriot Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals in Sydney.
Even though she is ranked No. 2 in the world, she has yet to win a Grand Slam championship. Hopefully this is not a career-ending injury for Safina so she can continue to pursue what has been for her an elusive goal.
