Bad news for Czech number one Miroslav Dvorak: the 28-year-old was diagnosed with mononucleosis and will lose large parts of the season to the recovery process. Mononucleosis requires almost complete rest. If the treatment is successful, Dvorak could return to training at the beginning of December.

„I went trough several tests with Dr. Martin Koldovskeho and the presence of a cytomegalovirus was detected in my blood which is an accompanying sign of mononucleosis. I have to cease all activity now and hold a strict diet. But I am glad that I finally know what is wrong with me. I have felt fatigue and weakness for a couple of weeks now and I was afraid that the problem might be even more serious“, Dvorak said.

Dvorak had skipped a race during the Summer Grand Prix at the end of August and completely ran out of steam after only a few kilometres of the race at the Czech nationals in September.

„The treatment time for mononucleosis is about two months and I can promise that I will not start to train again until I am completely healthy. Fortunately, I do not have to hurry - this season is without World Championships or Olympic Games. One of the causes for contracting this disease now might be that I was too hasty to return to training after a tonsillitis last year. This obviously weakened my immune system which - in combination with physical exertion and stress - manifests now“, Miroslav Dvorak admits.

„If I can start to train again in December, I might catch some competitions in the second half of the World Cup. I have trained well for years, this will not have been in vain. I will of course watch the other guys from the Czech national team and if everything goes well, catch up with them later.“