Argentine tennis player Juan Martin del Potro, ranked World No. 4, said on Saturday that the withdrawal of his opponent in the China Open semifinals came at a good time for him to rest since he did not feel 100 percent well for the final due to the flu.
Top seed Del Potro qualified for the China Open final on Saturday without playing after Italy's Fabio Fognini pulled out due to an ankle injury, reports Efe news.
The 30-year-old player stressed that he will have to fight, in any case, to win the final on Sunday.
Del Potro said he certainly wanted to play against Fognini and he was sad about the withdrawal of the Italian player because they are friends.
The Argentine star said he wishes Fognini all the best so that he can recover and be fit for the next tournament in Shanghai.
Del Potro is set to play the final against the winner of the match between British Kyle Edmund and Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili.
The Argentine player praised both semifinalists, noting that Edmund is a difficult opponent, while Basilashvili has great potential.
Del Potro predicts an interesting final, in which everything can happen, but promise to do his best to win.
The 31-year-old Fognini looks likely to also miss next week's Shanghai Masters due to the ankle injury.
--IANS
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