Israeli tennis ace Dudi Sela has this week been taking part in the Shenzhen Open tournament in Guangdong Province, China.

Today, with his game against Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine moving into its third set, Sela informed the umpire that he would be retiring for religious reasons.

The 32-year-old was trailing 6-3 4-6 1-0 against fifth-seeded Dolgopolov at the time of his decision but with sunset fast approaching there was little prospect of him being able to complete the match and begin his fast on time.