Alex de Minaur has withdrawn from his Olympic singles first round clash with German Jan-Lennard Struff, opting to focus on doubles as he manages his hip injury.
The Australian No.1 suffered the injury at Wimbledon, tearing his hip cartilage in the dying moments of his round-of-16 win over Arthur Fils
He pulled out of his quarter-final against Novak Djokovic, with the injury appearing to threaten his dream Olympic debut after he flagged a three to six week recovery.
But the world No.6 made it to Paris, desperate to play having been heartbreakingly forced out of the Tokyo Games at the last minute in 2021 after contracting COVID-19.
De Minaur admitted he was still rehabbing the injury but hoped to wear the green and gold on the clay in the France capital, having reached the quarter-finals at the French Open.
However, the AOC announced early on Sunday morning (local time) he had withdrawn from his singles match scheduled for later in the day.
“He has tried to do everything possible to get himself ready to play singles at the Olympics,” an AOC spokesperson said.
“He will prioritise men’s doubles alongside his childhood friend Alexei Popyrin.”
De Minaur and Popyrin face American fourth seeds Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram in their first match.
The Olympic tennis event is being played at Roland Garros until August 4.