Injuries force Sorensen to retire

IRISH tennis has suffered a massive blow with the news that Louk Sorensen has decided to quit the professional game due to injury.

Sorensen, still only 26, was sidelined from tournament action from August 2010 to last March because of a combination of hamstring and pubic muscle problems.

The Stuttgart-based right-hander has not been able to line out for Ireland in the Davis Cup since the clash against Cyprus in July 2009, when he pushed former Australian Open runner-up Marcos Baghdatis to five sets.

“Louk could have had an operation, but he decided not to go down that road because of all the injury problems that he’s unfortunately had over the last few years,” explained his father, Sean.

“He had a cartilage operation on his right knee about three years ago, and he reckons it took him about 18 months to get back to his best after that.

“It’s not a decision that Louk has taken lightly and it won’t be easy for him to come to terms with the fact that he won’t be playing in tournaments and the Davis Cup any more,” added Cork-born Sean.

But Sorensen won’t be entirely lost to tennis as his family recently purchased a five-court indoor facility in Stuttgart where he and his brother, Kevin, who also represented Ireland in the Davis Cup, will be involved in the running and coaching arrangements.

Sorensen will be fondly remembered for reaching the second round of the Australian Open — the first Irish player to do so — beating Taipei’s 101-ranked Yen-Hsun Lu in the first round before losing to 28th-ranked American John Isner.

He achieved his career-high singles world ranking of 213 in 2010.