Kei Nishikori pulls out of upcoming French Open

PARIS (AP) Kei Nishikori of Japan has pulled out of the upcoming French Open after failing to recover from an abdominal injury.

The 18th-ranked Nishikori picked up the injury playing against Fernando Verdasco in the Barcelona Open quarterfinals last month. He has not played since.

Organizers said Tuesday that he will be replaced in the draw by Slovakia's Karol Beck.

Several other players have pulled out of the clay-court Grand Slam tournament, which begins Sunday at Roland Garros, including former runner-up Robin Soderling of Sweden and Mardy Fish of the United States.