Scotland's Elena Baltacha joined the growing list of Commonwealth Games absentees on Sunday when she withdrew from the Delhi event citing fears over her health.The British number one, and world ranked 50, would have been among the gold medal favourites at the crisis-hit October 3-11 event, but the 27-year-old, whose career has been dogged by health problems, has decided the trip is too great a risk.
"After a lot of thought and discussion, I have taken the heartbreaking decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games," Baltacha said.
"I am incredibly disappointed because I was really excited about playing for Scotland, but conditions in Delhi are such that going there would pose too high a risk to my health."
"I suffer from a liver condition which is linked to my immune system and makes me susceptible to picking up infections. At the age of 27 and after many years of hard work, I am now playing the best tennis of my career and I cannot afford to jeopardise that by getting ill."
Baltacha joins other leading Commonwealth players such as compatriot Andy Murray, Cyprus's Marcos Baghdatis as well as Australians Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur in opting out of the Games.
"After a lot of thought and discussion, I have taken the heartbreaking decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games," Baltacha said.
"I am incredibly disappointed because I was really excited about playing for Scotland, but conditions in Delhi are such that going there would pose too high a risk to my health."
"I suffer from a liver condition which is linked to my immune system and makes me susceptible to picking up infections. At the age of 27 and after many years of hard work, I am now playing the best tennis of my career and I cannot afford to jeopardise that by getting ill."
Baltacha joins other leading Commonwealth players such as compatriot Andy Murray, Cyprus's Marcos Baghdatis as well as Australians Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur in opting out of the Games.
