Casey Dellacqua was forced to withdraw from the Australian tennis summer due to failure to recover from a concussion injury. The Australian is now set to miss the Hopman Cup, the Apia International Sydney, and her home slam, the Australian Open.
Concussion From Beijing Still Bothering The Aussie
Dellacqua suffered a major fall at the China Open in Beijing. The fall happened in her doubles semifinal match with partner Yaroslava Shvedova against the Chan Sisters (Hao-Ching and Yung-Jan). The duo lost the semifinal match to the Chans by a score of 6-3, 6-7(5), 10-8 to the Taiwanese duo. Earlier that week in the Chinese capital, Dellacqua was defeated by sixth-seeded Ana Ivanovic in the singles draw.
Opportunity Missed
Dellacqua and Shvedova were set to play in this year’s WTA Finals. The team were third to qualify behind the teams of Martina Hingis/Sania Mirza and Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Lucie Safarova. However, the concussion forced the duo to withdraw and were by Andrea Hlavackova/Lucie Hradecka.
Missing Home
Dellacqua was set to play in the Hopman Cup with countryman Lleyton Hewitt for Australia Gold, one of two Australian teams. The other Australian team is Australia Green, comprised of Nick Kyrgios and Daria Gavrilova. Her absence from the Australian Open will also be missed. Dellacqua reached the fourth round of the Australian in 2008 and 2014.
Quotes From Her Manager Sam Maxwell
“She was hoping to be ready for the WTA Tour Finals in Singapore at the end of October, however it soon became apparent that her injury was more severe than first thought. Upon returning to Australia she was in constant consultation with Tennis Australia’s medical team, and was diagnosed with Post-Concussion Syndrome. Casey is still experiencing headaches, neck pain and is still not in a position where she is able to train to the level required to be able to play professional tennis.
“With only one month remaining until the start of the tennis summer, given Casey’s current symptoms, the decision has been made that there is not enough time for Casey to sufficiently recover and then get her body in a position to handle the rigors of training and then ultimately compete against the best players in the world.
“There is no timeline on Casey’s return at present, however we expect her to return to light training in the coming weeks with a return to the tour some time after the Australian summer.”