French veteran Gilles Simon taking a break from tennis tour

<p>PARIS &mdash; Gilles Simon will step away from the tennis tour for an undetermined period of time because he said his heart wasn’t in it right now.</p>
<p>The 36-year-old Frenchman wrote on Twitter on Friday that mental health is also a concern.</p>
<p>“With my heart not being in it in terms of traveling and playing in these conditions, I unfortunately have to take a break in order to preserve myself mentally," Simon wrote. "Hopefully my morale picks up as soon as possible.”</p>
<p>Simon achieved a best ranking of sixth in 2009 but is currently ranked 68th. He won the last of his 14 career ATP titles in 2018.</p>
<p>He was routed 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 by Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round of the Australian Open this month.</p>
<p>Simon did not say whether he is considering retirement.</p>
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