Former champion Marin Cilic ruled out of 2012 Chennai Open

Two-time ATP Aircel Chennai Open singles champion Marin Cilic of Croatia has been ruled out of the 2012 edition due to a tendon injury.

The tournament will be held at the SDAT Nungambakkam Tennis Stadium here from Jan 2 to 8, and will see in action an impressive line-up of Indian and international players including world NO.9 Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia, NO.10 Nicolas Almagro of Spain, defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka from Switzerland and former champion Xavier Malisse of Belgium.

World No.21 Cilic, winner of the Chennai Open singles in 2009 and 2010, suffered a patella tendon injury which has also ruled him out of season’s first grand slam, the Australian Open.

With his withdrawal, Karol Beck of Slovakia, ranked 100 will be part of the singles main draw at the event.

“Having started the previous five seasons at the Chennai Open, the city is a home away from home for me. Only an injury could have kept me away from the tournament,” said Cilic in a statement released Tuesday.

“Thankfully, I am recovering well from the patella tendon injury and I will surely be back next year,” he added.

Cilic, a crowd favourite at Chennai, was aiming to become the first singles player to win the title on three occasions.