Australia's Jordan Thompson has suffered a devastating blow ahead of the Australian Open after retiring from his Brisbane International quarter-final due to an apparent calf injury.
The 30-year-old dropped the first set 6-1 against reigning champion Grigor Dimitrov and pulled the pin down 1-2 0-30 in set two.
Thompson was seen holding his calf and ankle area on his right side while walking up to the net to shake hands with Dimitrov.
In the lead-up to Brisbane, he played in the World Tennis League in Abu Dhabi, where he suffered from Plantar Fasciitis, which forced him to withdraw from two matches for the TSL Hawks.
During his medical timeout after three games in the second set, commentator John Fitzgerald attempted to analyse the extent of the injury while the physio massaged Thompson's calf. "It looks to me like it's inside the calf, and he's intimated a couple of times that when his foot goes on an angle, it's affecting him."
When Dimitrov was asked after the match if he had noticed his opponent struggling, the Bulgarian confessed he was unaware.
"No, I was just trying to focus on my game, honestly," Dimitrov said in his on-court interview.
"It's very unfortunate for him. I hope he's ready for the Aussie Open.
"Not much to say, I just came out here to compete, to go through my motions on the court."
Currently ranked No.27 in the live ATP rankings, the injury is particularly cruel given Thompson will be guaranteed his first top-32 seed at a Grand Slam when the Australian Open main draw begins Sunday, January 12.
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