Paris, Aug 21: French tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has announced his withdrawal from the US Open, which gets underway next week, with a left knee injury. The 33-year-old Tsonga, a former top-5 player and currently ranked 64th, has been struggling with the injury, which has sidelined him since February and required surgery two months later, reports Efe. "It takes time to heal, and now I cannot compete, so unfortunately I have to forfeit the US Open," Tsonga said in a video posted on his Twitter account on Monday.

"I am hopeful that I will be able to start training again before the end of the season and to get back and play the next one (Slam) with certainty and in better conditions," Tsonga said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 21, 2018 02:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).