Grigor Dimitrov has been forced to delay his comeback as the world No. 11 is withdrawing from the ATP 500 tournament in Rotterdam due to his ongoing injury.
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In his first tournament of the year, the Bulgarian made a promising start and reached the Brisbane International semifinal.
But then, he sustained a groin injury against Jiri Lehecka and retired late in the second set of their match.
Nine days later, Dimitrov took to the court at Melbourne Park but had to take a medical timeout early in his Australian Open first-round match.
And with Francesco Passaro 7-5 2-1 up, the 33-year-old went to the net and shook the Italian's hand.
Dimitrov has had several deep runs in Rotterdam
After retiring injured at the Australian Open, the former world No. 3 was certainly hoping to at least be able to play in Rotterdam.
But he won't be ready to return to action next week and won't make his 11th appearance at the tournament this year.
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In the past, Dimitrov finished as runner-up to Roger Federer in the 2018 Rotterdam final and he was also a semifinalist on three other occasions.
Meanwhile, it was yet another tough blow for the tournament organizers as reigning Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner also pulled out of the event because he needed time to rest.
"After consulting with my team we had to take the difficult decision to withdraw from the ABN AMRO Open. My body needs time to rest after the long run in Australia," the world No. 1 said in a statement.
"I have great memories from winning the title in front of amazing crowds at Rotterdam Ahoy last year and hope to be back there soon. I wish [tournament director] Richard [Krajicek] and the whole team a great event."
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It remains to be seen if Dimitrov will be forced to miss any other tournaments because of the groin issue.
