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by Tiarne Swersky
CANBERRA, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The Australian Olympic men's tennis team has received another major setback, with former Aussie superstar and coach Lleyton Hewitt withdrawing from the Rio Games citing "personal reasons."
Hewitt has pulled out from his debut role as coach of the Australian Olympic team, having competed as a three-time Olympian himself at the 2000, 2008 and 2012 Games.
In addition to his coaching role, Hewitt had previously expressed interest in seeking a wildcard doubles entry at Rio.
The announcement, revealed by Australian media on Monday, has left the men's tennis team in disarray, after the country's top two players, Nick Kygrios and Bernard Tomic, made themselves unavailable earlier this year.
After overcoming a shoulder injury, 20-year-old, Thanasi Kokkinakis (with a protected world ranking of 81), will join Queenslander and world No.62 John Millman, and world No.88, 22-year-old Jordan Thompson, as the three Australians to represent the men's singles in Rio. All three players will be making their Olympic debut.
Tennis Australia had applied to the Australian Olympic Committee to replace Hewitt with former professional Mark Draper, according to local Australian media on Monday.
Australia's women's tennis should have a much stronger team, with the well-credentialed Samantha Stosur and Daria Gavrilova both set for singles and doubles events.
Tennis has joined golf as two high-profile professional sports at the Olympics hit by the withdrawal of elite performers.
Jason Day and Adam Scott are among six of the world's top 10 golfers who have withdrawn from the Rio Games, leaving Australia with a second-string line-up. (Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and the United States' Jordan Spieth have also chosen to skip the event.)
In tennis, world No.8 Tomas Berdych has joined seventh-ranked Milos Raonic, and women's world No.5, Romania's Simona Halep, as three of the superstars to have withdrawn from Rio due to concerns over the Zika virus.
Dominic Thiem is another member of the men's top 10 to have withdrawn from the Games, while John Isner and Feliciano Lopez will all be absent as well.
