Novak Djokovic retired from the National Bank Open, opting for an extra break after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.
Tennis Canada announced on Sunday that Djokovic canceled the only Canadian stop on the ATP Tour schedule due to fatigue. The 36-year-old, 23-time Grand Slam winner was set to begin his hard-court preparations for the US Open after losing to leaders Alcaraz in a five-set final at Wimbledon last Sunday.
“I’ve always enjoyed my time in Canada but after speaking to my team we believe this is the right decision,” said Djokovic, who has won the National Bank Open four times.
I would like to thank Karl Hale, the Tournament Director, for his understanding of this decision. I really hope to be able to return to Canada and Toronto in the years to come to play in front of great fans there.
As Djokovic’s replacement, American Christopher Eubanks will automatically have access to the main draw. Eubanks has just come off a surprise quarter-final run at Wimbledon, where he defeated No. 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and No. 12 seed Cam Norrie en route to the round of eight.
“Obviously we’re disappointed that Novak won’t be playing at the National Bank Open this year,” said Hale. He’s an incredible player and we know our fans really wanted to see him at Sobeys Stadium.
He will be missed but we still have a long list of sensational players confirmed for this year’s event, including 41 of the top 42 players in the world.
Toronto’s Sobeys Stadium will host the men’s national tennis championships August 3-13. The women’s team will be at the IGA Stadium in Montreal at the same time.
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