Stefanos Tsitsipas pulls out of Shanghai Masters hours before first match

Stefanos Tsitsipas has pulled out of the Shanghai Masters just hours before he was due to take to the court for his opening match. The No. 24 seed has been struggling with an ongoing back injury in recent months, but withdrew citing a leg injury. He retired from Wimbledon over the summer, and was also forced to miss the recent ATP 500 event in Beijing.

Tsitsipas has not played a match since he suffered defeat to teenage sensation Joao Fonseca during Greece's Davis Cup tie against Brazil three weeks ago. The 27-year-old led 5-3 in the deciding set but lost 6-4 3-6 7-5, and later said his back issues flared up when he was attempting to serve for the match.

As the No. 24 seed in Shanghai, Tsitsipas received a bye directly into the second round to face Nuno Borges. The Greek star arrived early in Shanghai to practice ahead of the tournament and get back into the swing of things after skipping the recent China Open.

Tsitsipas and Borges were set to meet in the last match of the day on Show Court 3 on Saturday, but Tsitsipas suddenly pulled out of the tournament and was replaced by lucky loser Aleksandar Vukic.

The former world No. 3 is next scheduled to compete in the Six Kings Slam, a lucrative, three-day exhibition event in Saudi Arabia, taking place from October 15.

Tsitsipas replaced British No. 1 Jack Draper in the six man line-up for the tournament after Draper was forced to end his season early due to an arm injury.

But Tsitsipas himself now appears in doubt to compete. If he can make it to Riyadh, the two-time Grand Slam finalist would bank £1.1m just for turning up and playing a match. The champion takes home an extra £3.3m.

The world No. 25 was recently forced to shut down reports that he had undergone back surgery at home in Greece. In a statement released last week, he wrote: "Dear friends and supporters, in light of recent reports, I would like to clarify that I have not undergone back surgery and I am doing well.

"I am deeply grateful for your kind messages and continued support. Your concern means a great deal to me."

Arriving in Shanghai, Tsitsipas confirmed that he had instead had a "special type of examination", and hoped to play pain-free in the last few weeks of the season.

He told the ATP: "My focus would be a combination of seeing what my back allows me to do now and reconnecting a little bit with the wins. Top of my list right now, I would definitely like to see a few matches in a row without back pain."

"I won't go into details, but it's something that did help me a lot. I readjusted and fixed my back. So I'm just waiting to see how that responds in matches and how I'm able to compete in a much more healthy state."

However, it wasn't to be for Tsitsipas in Shanghai, as a leg issue stopped him from competing. The world No. 25 will have to wait a little longer before he can test his back in a competitive match.

After the Six Kings Slam, Tsitsipas is signed up to play the ATP 500 in Vienna, the Paris Masters, and the ATP 250 in Athens.