New Delhi: South African Kevin Anderson, who reached the US Open quarterfinals this year and also cracked the top-10, has pulled out of the upcoming Champins Tennis League (CTL) citing personal reasons.
Anderson, who had played for Delhi Drems in the inaugural editin in 2014, was to play for Raipur Rangers, the new entrants in the league this season.
"Unfortunately circumstances are such that I will be unable to travel to India this year. My wife Kelsey and I are very proud to be a part of CTL and we had a great time in India last year. I apologise to my fans and do hope Second Serve will have us back for CTL 2016," Anderson said.
The tall South African has enjoyed remarkable performances this season. In the fourth round at Wimbledon, he lost a gruelling five-setter to eventualy champion Novak Djokovic after leading by two sets to love.
At US Open, he reached the quarterfinals of a Slam first time when he scalped Andy Murray in the fourth round. In the next match he lost to Stanislas Wawrinka.
Commenting on the development, Vijay Amritraj, who has conceptualised the league, said, "It is really unfortunate to have Kevin Anderson withdraw from CTL 2015 due to personal reasons. It was great having him play for us last year. Kevin and his wife Kelsey had a wonderful time experiencing Indian hospitality at its finest. He has had a great year so far and it would have been tremendous to have him back for another season of CTL. I congratulate Kevin on breaking the top 10 and we hope to have him with us for the next season!"
Abhishek Mishra, team owner Raipur Rangers said, "He is a world class player and we were looking forward to having him with us in the Raipur Rangers team in our effort to win the Champions Tennis League 2015 trophy. However, these things happen and we understand that sometimes circumstances get the better of us."
