Withdraws From WTF 2021 Due To Injury, Momota: My Waist Can't Twist

Kento Momota (Foto: Antara)

JAKARTA - The men's singles badminton players Kento Momota (Japan) and Rasmus Gemke (Denmark) have announced that they have withdrawn from the preliminary round of Group A of the 2021 BWF World Tour Finals tournament, which has just entered the first day of implementation in Nusa Dua, Bali, Thursday.

Momota retired during the match against Lakshya Sen of India, with the new score recorded a 1-1 draw. After the match, the second-ranked badminton player said that a back injury was the main reason for leaving.

"The waist hurts a lot, it has been felt since this morning. This injury was actually an impact when he appeared at the French Open," said Momota as quoted by Antara.

This injury made Momota unable to move freely, so he couldn't rotate his body to perform certain punching techniques.

"It hurts so much that I can't look back when I hit a backhand. My waist can't twist," said Momota.

Momota explained that he will undergo a recovery so that his injury can heal quickly and he can carry out a training program in preparation for the world championships in Spain.

He still has the belief that he can play in the World Championships and will spend his time preparing.

"I didn't go back to Japan, straight to Spain for the world championship. Regarding this injury, I don't know if I can fully recover or not, but I will try my best," Momota explained.

Meanwhile, Gemke also withdrew in the first game against compatriot Viktor Axelsen, who overtook Momota as world number one.

However, until now there has been no official statement that mentions the main reason for the withdrawal of the world number 10 badminton player.

The withdrawal of these two badminton players had a huge impact on the competition in Group A of the WTF 2021 men's singles. Lakshya and Axelsen received favorable results, because they automatically qualified for the semifinals representing Group A.

Based on the World Tour Finals tournament rules, participants who withdraw from the preliminary phase are not allowed to continue the match so that they are declared disqualified or out of the tournament.