Due to a back injury, world No. 9 and the winner of Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2013 Frenchman Richard Gasquet has withdrawn from the first ATP World Tour event of 2016.
Gasquet had withdrawn from the 2015 International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) and the injury seems somewhat serious as he also officially withdrew from the 2016 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, to be held at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.
Gasquet has participated four times in the Doha tournament, with his first visit being in 2006. On his next visit in 2013, he defeated Nikolay Davydenko of Russia in the final to lift the title.
In 2014, he was beaten by compatriot Gael Monfils in the round of 16 before he made a quarter-final exit last year losing to Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic.
The Doha tournament is scheduled to run January 4-9, 2015, with the participation of some of the biggest tennis stars like the world no. 1 Novak Djokovic, Spaniard Rafael Nadal, Berdych and defending champion David Ferrer.
