Injury thwarts Davidovich at the end of a bittersweet week

Alejandro Davidovich has been on quite a journey this week. Just days after failing to reach the final of the Canadian Open, the Malaga tennis star was forced by a back injury to retire during his round-of-16 clash with Novak Djokovic at the Cincinnati Open in the early hours of this Thursday morning (17 August).

With the US Open just around the corner, the Spaniard, who this week achieved the highest world ranking of his career to date (23rd) - forfeited the match after losing the first set 4-6.

Despite Djokovic getting off to a shaky start, Davidovich’s physical discomfort in his lower back eventually got the better of him.

This marks Davidovich’s first withdrawal of the season - a logical consequence of his demanding schedule recently.

The 24-year-old travelled to Cincinnati immediately after a strong showing in the Canadian Open.

Despite performing well in this Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto, an apparent lack of desire to win cost him. He lost his semi-final clash against Alex de Miñaur (6-1, 6-3) during which the Australian was never overly exerted.

Davidovich, who was aiming for his second ATP Tour final, started on the back foot by conceding a break. But unlike in previous matches, he was unable to level the contest straight away.

The windy conditions seemed to affect Davidovich, disrupting his precision-based game. And despite previous victories over De Miñaur, Davidovich failed to find his rhythm, displaying impatience during rallies and a lower percentage of points won with his first serves.

After losing the first set, Davidovich couldn’t regain any momentum and he struggled to find his footing during a series of consecutive breaks.