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Karen Khachanov seemingly wants a bit more time to rest following his Australian Open semifinal result as he has withdrawn from next week's ATP 500 event in Rotterdam. Khachanov, 26, won't be making his seventh main draw appearance on the indoor-hard courts of Rotterdam.
Khachanov made his Rotterdam debut in 2017, when he lost to Borna Coric in the first round. Since then, Khachanov made six consecutive appearances in Rotterdam.Rotterdam update:
OUT: Khachanov
IN: Bonzi
Next: Goffin — Entry List Updates (@EntryLists) February 7, 2023
Khachanov's best Rotterdam result came in 2021, when he made the quarterfinal before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Last year, Khachanov exited Rotterdam in the round-of-16 following a loss to Cameron Norrie.
Khachanov enjoyed a strong Australian Open run
At this past Australian Open, Khachanov made the semifinal before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
For Khachanov, it was a back-to-back Grand Slam semifinal appearance. At the 2022 US Open, Khachanov was beaten by Casper Ruud in the semifinal. After reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open, Khachanov also reached the last-four at Melbourne Park.
But despite losing to Tsitsipas in four sets in the Australian Open semifinal, Khachanov kept a positive spirit as he insisted that it was a good experience and a strong lesson. "I would say I did it second time in a row, consecutive semifinals, I would definitely [leave] with my head [held] high.
Always you need to take some lessons, to take something, some experience, to move forward, to improve. There is no draw unfortunately in our sport - one guy has to win and to go through. Hopefully I [will] keep believing that I can pass this step next time, if I am in this situation," Khachanov said after losing to Tsitsipas in the Australian Open semifinal.
Khachanov, a former world No 8, returned to No 13 following his strong Australian Open run. Khachanov is off to a good start to the 2023 season and it will be interesting to see if he can make more strong results in the remainder of 2023.