by Simon Daish

While Gacina was keen to compete at the upcoming ITTF World Tour events in Korea Republic and Australia, the Croatian representative has weighed up his options and has decided against the idea after receiving a medical evaluation.

“At the check-up the doctor told me that it was nothing terrible, but he recommended that I should not risk it… It makes no sense to play such strong tournaments unprepared and travel so far to play one or two matches. That’s not my goal.” Andrej Gacina

Earlier in the week it was confirmed that a host of Chinese competitors including Fan Zhendong, Lin Gaoyuan and Zhu Yuling had withdrawn from the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Platinum Australian Open in order to prepare for the prestigious 2018 Asian Games.

Unfortunately, Gacina is the latest name to be added to the withdrawal list and while the Croatian star is disappointed to miss out on July’s ITTF World Tour action he is looking to take positives out of the situation.

“By the end of July, I’ll start with the preparations. It will be a good holiday to get my rest so I cannot get injured during the season. It was a pity because I was in good shape, but it was probably a long season that took the toll. The only positive thing is that in June and July I do not have tournaments where I defend points.” Andrej Gacina

Source: Croatian Table Tennis Association