Stefanos Tsitsipas shared his frustration with an ATP rule that led to his participation in Indian Wells, despite carrying an injury.
Tsitsipas was not fully fit to compete at Indian Wells earlier in March. The Greek player crashed out in the second round after a second-round loss against Jordan Thompson.
Before the competition, Tsitsipas was doubtful about his chances of success due to a shoulder injury. Since then, the world number three revealed to the Tennis Channel the main reason why he needed to compete at Indian Wells.
"There is a rule in place in ATP that states that if you don’t play any Masters 1000, there are certain penalties such as, they take away your best Masters 1000 performance of last year and you can’t add points to that, which is pretty bad if you think about it."
However, despite his interpretation of the ATP's rules on withdrawal, some journalists have questioned whether Tsitsipas had alternative options.
Damian Kust explained that the Greek player could have withdrawn from the ATP 1000 event and retained his points from the last 12 months if he saw the tournament doctor. Then if the doctor confirmed Tsitsipas as unfit to play, he could have withdrawn without jeopardising his points.
In addition, the official rules state that no penalties are applied if a player receives an on-site withdrawal pre-tournament.
"Players shall not have the suspension penalty assessed if they complete the requirements for 'promotional activities' or the withdrawal complied with the requirements for an on-site withdrawal."
Despite the contention over Tsitsipas' version of the ATP 1000 rules on appearances, the 24-year-old has since returned to court and is competing at the 2023 Miami Open.
Tsitsipas received a bye in the second round as Richard Gasquet withdrew before beating Cristian Garín in the third round.
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