Stefanos Tsitsipas pulled out of the ATP Finals on Tuesday after a back injury led to him retiring from his match with Holger Rune early in the first set.

Sixth seed Tsitsipas was trailing the opening set 2-1 when he was forced to quit the Green Group match, handing Finals debutant Rune his first ever win in the season-ending tournament.

“My apologies to all the fans and the crowd who came to support me today. Really I’m gutted that I wasn’t able to finish the match,” Tsitsipas, 25, told reporters.

“My doctors and the countless visits that I had in the last few days suggested that I play... Unfortunately I felt terrible on the court. I did what I could do in best possible way to be ready and fit for this match, But it didn’t work out for me.”

Read full story on sport.timesofmalta.com

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