SHANGHAI (AFP) — World number six Andy Roddick dealt the Tennis Masters Cup another blow when he pulled out of the elite season finale with an ankle injury on Wednesday.
Roddick, who had been due to face defending champion Roger Federer just a few hours later, said he rolled his right ankle in training and would be out for about a week.
The American joins top-ranked Rafael Nadal on the sidelines of the 4.45 million dollar tournament while Federer and Juan Martin del Potro are also carrying injuries.
"Yesterday in the warm-up during practice I just went over on it," Roddick said.
"We tried the best we could to get it better but I can't really stop and start on it very quickly."
Roddick, who lost his opening Red Group match against Britain's Andy Murray, will be replaced by first alternate Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic.
He also pulled out injured in 2005, when a rash of withdrawals dismayed Chinese organisers.
Local officials voiced anger then after Roddick, Nadal, Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Safin all missed the tournament, which was being held at the purpose-built Qi Zhong Stadium for the first time.
"I came out here and tried to warm up 45 minutes or so ago, and it was pretty apparent that my movement was probably 30 or 40 percent," Roddick said.
"Unfortunately that's just not good enough to get it done at a tournament like this. I didn't feel like I could go out and try to compete and win a tennis match.
"I called Stepanek earlier today to let him know where my head was at, and then just told him when I came off the practice court. So he knew as early as anybody else."
Top seed Federer is carrying a stiff back which forced him out of the Paris Masters, while del Potro has been troubled by a toenail problem since the US Open.
The equivalent women's tournament in Doha was hit by the double exits of Serena Williams and Ana Ivanovic due to a stomach injury and virus, renewing questions about the rigours of modern tennis.
Roddick has qualified for the Masters Cup six times but has only played all his matches four times, reaching three semi-finals.
Stepanek, the world number 27, needs to beat Federer later on Wednesday and Gilles Simon on Friday to have any chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.
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