ROBSON TO MISS FRENCH OPEN
LAURA ROBSON has pulled out of this month’s French Open, further delaying her comeback. The former British No 1 dropped out on Monday, a Roland Garros spokesman confirmed to Sportsmail yesterday morning, claiming her troublesome wrist was not yet up to the rigours of clay court tennis. Playing in Paris had been a stated goal of the Robson camp, but it was becoming clear that returning after a prolonged absence on the sport’s most demanding surface — and far from her favourite — was too tall an order. Robson could not have realistically played without preparing at a smaller event beforehand, such as the Strasbourg Open. The 21-year-old has been out of action since the Australian Open in January 2014, although it was only this time last year that she opted to have surgery on her wrist. Robson has kept her comeback plans close to her chest and, while she has been training at the IMG Academy in Florida, most of her social media activity has related to what she does in her downtime — posting pictures of herself on a speedboat at the weekend. Coach Mauricio Hadad and manager Max Eisenbud believe Robson should not return until she can last a whole tournament. Possible comebacks had been pencilled in for the Indian Wells event in March and Colombia in April. Now there is the possibility of returning on grass, which is the easiest on the body with its cushioning effect and relatively quick-fire points. There are four weeks of tournaments leading into this year’s Wimbledon, beginning with a $50,000 Challenger-level event at Eastbourne which starts on June 1.