Report: Austria to withdraw from ATP Cup after Dennis Novak pulls out due to health reasons
Austria will reportedly withdraw from the upcoming ATP Cup after Dennis Novak was unable to travel to Australia due to health reasons.
Novak's withdrawal, coupled with Dominic Thiem's absence, means Lucas Miedler is the highest-ranked Austrian in the tournament.
ATP Cup rules state that each team should have at least one player in the top 250 to participate in the tournament. This is bad news for Austria as Miedler is ranked No. 291.
While speaking to Austrian newspaper Krone, Miedler said they had to cancel their tickets to Australia after Novak pulled out.
"A few minutes ago we canceled our flights," Miedler said. "I won't be spending New Year's Eve in Australia with that. Unfortunately Dennis Novak had to pass."
Earlier, the nation's star player Dominic Thiem pulled out of the competition and the Sydney Tennis Classic, before withdrawing from the Australian Open. The former US Open champion said he would start his season later in January at the Cordoba Open.
"After the short holidays, my team and I have assessed all matters and we have decided to make some changes to my initial tournament shedule," Thiem said. "I will start the season in South America at the Cordoba Open in Argentina, end of January, and therefore I will not play this year at the Australian Open in Melbourne, a city that I love and where I have great memories of unforgettable matches in front of amazing crowds. I will miss the Australian fans but I will be back in 2023."
No official notice about Austria's withdrawal
The ATP Cup is yet to provide an official notice regarding Austria's withdrawal. If the Austrians do pull out of the tournament, there are quite a few teams who can replace them. These include Croatia, Kazakhstan and Japan, who have a number of players ranked inside the top 250 of the ATP rankings.
The ATP Cup will have 16 participating teams, four more than this year. Austria is scheduled to take on last year's winner Russia, along with Italy and Australia.
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