BREAKING: Stefanos Tsitsipas QUITS Shanghai Masters just hours before Nuno Borges match

Stefanos Tsitsipas has withdrawn from the Shanghai Masters just hours before his opening match was due to start. The No. 24 seed, who's been battling a persistent back injury, also had to sit out the recent ATP 500 event in Beijing, while he was also forced into an early retirement from this summer's Wimbledon.

Tsitsipas hasn't played a match since his defeat to teenage prodigy Joao Fonseca during Greece's Davis Cup tie against Brazil three weeks ago. The 27-year-old was leading 5-3 in the deciding set but lost 6-4 3-6 7-5, and later revealed his back problems flared up when he was trying to serve for the match.

As the No. 24 seed in Shanghai, Tsitsipas received a bye straight into the second round to face Nuno Borges.

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The Greek star arrived early in Shanghai to practice ahead of the tournament and get back into the swing of things after missing the recent China Open.

Tsitsipas and Borges were scheduled to meet in the last match of the day on Show Court 3 on Saturday, but Tsitsipas abruptly withdrew from the tournament and was replaced by lucky loser Aleksandar Vukic.

The former world No. 3 is next slated to compete in the Six Kings Slam, a lucrative, three-day exhibition event in Saudi Arabia, starting from October 15.

Tsitsipas replaced British No. 1 Jack Draper in the six-man line-up for the tournament after Draper was forced to end his season early due to an arm injury.

Speaking to the ATP ahead of the Shanghai Masters. Tsitsipas said: "My focus would be a combination of seeing what my back allows me to do now and reconnecting a little bit with the wins. Top of my list right now, I would definitely like to see a few matches in a row without back pain.

"I won’t go into details, but it’s something that did help me a lot. I readjusted and fixed my back. So I'm just waiting to see how that responds in matches and how I'm able to compete in a much more healthy state."

After the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Tsitsipas is lined up to play the ATP 500 in Vienna, the Paris Masters, and the ATP 250 in Athens.

There will be more to follow on this breaking news story and Mirror Sport will bring you the very latest updates, pictures and video as soon as possible.

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