Wimbledon: Ex-finalist must fit for Wimbledon

Former finalist Tomas Berdych has cancelled his participation in the Tennis Grand Slam in Wimbledon (from July 2). The 32-year-old Czech suffers from persistent back problems.

“I’ve been struggling with it for months, I’ve tried everything,” twittered Berdych on Sunday, “I would have loved to play there, I have such wonderful memories of Wimbledon”.

However, Berdych did not want to think about ending his career. “I hope to return soon healthy and stronger and will keep you informed of my comeback.”

Berdych reached his only Grand Slam finale on the “holy lawn” in 2010. On his way to the final, he surprisingly eliminated defending champion Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, but later failed in the final against Rafael Nadal from Spain. Due to his refusal Berdych will probably rank outside the top 50 for the first time since the end of 2005.

The current season had not gone according to plan for the former fourth in the world rankings. Berdych suffered five first-round defeats, four of them in a row during the clay court season from Monte Carlo. His best result of the season was in January, when he reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.