DUBAI BiancaAndreescu has further delayed her comeback after withdrawing from the Dubai Tennis Championships, where Australian Open runner-up Garbine Muguruza has been handed a wild card. US Open champion Andreescu suffered a knee injury at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen last October during a match against Karolina Pliskova and has since pulled out of the Auckland Classic and Australian Open in 2020. She had hoped to represent Canada in their Fed Cup qualifying tie in Switzerland last week but ended up not playing there and has now revealed the WTA Premier event in Dubai will also come too soon for her. “I’m very sad to announce that I won’t be able to compete in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships next week,” Andreescu said on Wednesday. “I’m not at 100 per cent yet and, following my team and doctor’s recommendation, I don’t want to take any risk to re-injure my knee. “Each day I get closer to being back to the court competing, but Dubai is just too soon. Hope I can come and play in Dubai next year.” Muguruza will join the field, though, after landing a wild card forthetournament, which begins next Monday and will also feature the returning Kim Clijsters.—AFP
