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Swiss tennis player Henri Laaksonen has defended himself amidst criticism over his decision to retire in the final of an ATP Challenger event in Hamburg, Germany.
Laaksonen was up against fellow countryman Alexander Ritschard in the final. Ritschard won the first set and was about to serve for the match at 6-5 in the second when Laaksonen retired.
The 171st-ranked player later said that people should not judge his decision to retire as they did not have all the facts.
"If you don't have all the facts, you can just judge. I had them and made the decision," Laaksonen was quoted as saying by Swiss newspaper "Blick".
Laaksonen withdrew from the ongoing ATP Challenger event in Brest and clarified that he injured his leg midway through the second set against Ritschard.
"I wish I didn't have to give up and could go to Brest too. I hurt my leg in the middle of the second set in the final. I didn't think about it much, but then it got worse," he explained.
"I don’t know what happened" - Alexander Ritschard on Henri Laaksonen's retirement
Despite the unusual manner of the victory, Alexander Ritschard was delighted to win his maiden career title at the Challenger level.
Ritschard said that he was unaware of what happened to his compatriot Henri Laaksonen, but hoped he would recover quickly.
“It means a lot. It’s my first Challenger title of the year, of my career actually. It was a tough week. I had many tough matches, played point for point and somehow managed to sneak out the win today," Ritschard said.
“I don’t know what happened (with Laaksonen). He seemed to be okay but something seemed to happen towards the end of the second set, something with his leg. I was pretty confident winning the match. I hope he will recover quickly,” he added.
The 28-year-old also revealed his goal of finishing the year ranked inside the top 150.
“Ranking-wise I hope to finish the year inside the Top 150. I will have four or five more Challengers coming up this year and I hope for good results there. I am looking forward to it,” he said.
