Otto Virtanen, Finland’s number one tennis player at the moment, told some worrying news.
A tennis player Emil Ruusuvuori said today that he will not be in Finland’s lineup when the national men’s tennis team starts the Davis Cup qualifiers with an away match against Austria at the turn of January-February.
Ruusuvuori is returning to the field in February. He takes on the protective ranking, which means he cannot play in the first qualifying round of the Davis Cup or the first Grand Slam tournament of the tennis year, the Australian Open.
In Ruusuvuori’s absence, he has become Finland’s number one player Otto Virtanen. Virtanen and Ruusuvuori are ranked 94th and 95th consecutively.
Virtanen, however, gave worrying news about his health on Friday.
He posted a picture of himself lying on an examination table in the stories section of Instagram.
– The last few weeks have been tough. Still smiling, he wrote on the picture, where he is smiling with a cap on his head and showing a thumbs up.
In the second picture, he wrote detailed information.
– I have had heart and breathing problems. Found something two weeks ago…
He said that some readings have been elevated and they require more detailed investigations.
– I have been checked every day.
He lists that he has had X-rays, MRIs, blood tests and so on.
– Still not a hundred percent sure. I’ll keep you posted.
In the 2024 season, among other things, Virtanen advanced to the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time, when he beat Wimbledon in the opening round by Max Purcell.
The Hyvinkää-based player’s world ranking has been around 170 since the beginning of the season.
Three tournament victories on the challenger tour and otherwise good grips put Virtanen in the top 100 in the ATP ranking for the first time.
– I’ve certainly dreamed of a professional career since I was a child. Now, after reaching such a destination, the top 100 was broken, Virtanen rejoiced to in the fall.