Defending champ pulls out of Gstaad Open
The Gstaad Open has suffered a major blow, after the defending champion, Czech Jiri Novak, announced he would not be playing this week.
The organisers said Novak was withdrawing because he is suffering from a high fever. With the Czech player bowing out before the start, Spaniard Alex Corretja will be the eighth and final seed.
French Open champion Albert Costa is the tournament’s top seed.
Novak was unseeded and ranked number 65 in the world when he surprised Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero, the second seed in the final. The Czech is now in 32nd position in the rankings and would have been the third seed.
Switzerland’s Roger Federer is among the favourites and will be hoping for a good result in the Bernese Oberland to make up for his poor performance at Wimbledon.
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