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Euro shuttlers withdraw due to hectic international duty
Top European players have withdrawn from the India Open Super Series badminton tournament two days ahead of the event, which will kick off at the Siri Fort Sports Complex from April 24. In total, 10 singles players and 11 pairs have pulled out. Anamika Nandedkar reports. Star value at India Open
Top European players have withdrawn from the India Open Super Series badminton tournament two days ahead of the event, which will kick off at the Siri Fort Sports Complex from April 24. In total, 10 singles players and 11 pairs have pulled out.
Prominent among them are newly crowned European champion Germany's Marc Zwiebler, Denmark's Jan O Jorgenson, England's doubles pair of Nathan Robertson-Jenny Wallwork and Chris Adcock-Imogen Bankier. England's only singles player in the main draw, Rajiv Ouseph, who was to play against India's Ajay Jayaram in the first round, has also withdrawn.
Though in the past, the English team has shown reluctance to travel to India for tournaments due to security reasons, this time around the pullout is being attributed to a hectic international schedule.
“The communication we have received from them is that the team has just finished playing the European Championships (on Sunday) and it would have been very tiring for the players to come to India right after that,” said Ashok Kumar, the executive president of the organising committee. Delhi's Manu Atri has moved up into the main draw of mixed doubles, while another local player, Mohita Sachdeva has found a place in the singles qualifying round.
