Less than 10 days before the first matches of the main draw of the National Bank Tennis Open, a first prestigious name has announced his absence from the Montreal portion of the tournament.
Tennis Canada confirmed on Monday that Serbian Novak Djokovic had decided to skip the tournament, which will officially begin on Sunday, August 4 with the qualifying rounds.
Djokovic, who last played at the Canadian Open in Toronto in 2018, is currently competing at the Olympic Games in Paris. On Monday, he beat his great rival Rafael Nadal in a second-round match on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
The 37-year-old Serbian is hoping to capture a gold medal in Paris, which would allow him to add the only missing title to his impressive list of 98 trophies, including 24 won at Grand Slam tournaments.
Due to this withdrawal, Roman Safiullin will gain automatic entry into the main draw.
“Although we are disappointed that Novak [Djokovic] “While he cannot participate in this year’s tournament, we understand his decision and wish him the best for the Olympic Games and the rest of his season,” said Valérie Tétreault, tournament director, National Bank Open — Montreal, in a press release.
“He is an incredible player and we know our fans were very excited to see him back at IGA Stadium this summer. That being said, our tournament still has an exceptional roster for this year’s event with 42 of the top 43 players in the world, and we look forward to seeing them in action very soon,” added Tétreault.