(MENAFN - The Peninsula) QNA

Doha:French tennis star Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will miss Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2018 through the wrist injury, tournament director Karim Alami confirmed on Monday.

Alami expressed regret over the news that the world No. 15 will be absent from the event, which takes place at Khalifa Tennis Complex from Jan. 1 to 6.

The tournament director wished Tsonga speedy recovery and that he will be part of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in next year's edition.

The French player participated in Qatar ExxonMobil Open on many occasions before and was a winner in 2012.

Despite Tsonga's absence, Alami said, the event remains one of the strongest editions thanks to the involvement of a number of leading tennis players, including Serbia's Novak Djokovic, noting that the organizing committee aims for the tournament to be an ideal destination for the best every year.

The tournament features a group of top players, notably 12-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic, who returns to courts after a long layoff due to injury, as well as the world No. 5 Dominic Thiem, world No. 30 Richard Gasquet, world No. 19 Tomas Berdych, and Spanish duo Fernando Verdasco and world No. 10 Pablo Carreno Busta.

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