Several stars have stepped out of Toronto.
Olympic gold-medal champion Alexander Zverev and 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer are among the players who have pulled out of next week's Masters tournament.
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Canadian Milos Raonic, Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini and Olympic bronze medalist Pablo Carreno Busta join Federer and Zverev pulling out of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Toronto.
Vasek Pospisil, Nick Kyrgios and Jenson Brooksby have been given wild cards into Toronto.
Zverev was a National Bank Open champion in 2017, beating Federer in the final in Montreal. The German recently won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and requires more time to recover.
“I regret to inform you that, unfortunately, I have to withdraw from the National Bank Open in Toronto,” said Zverev. “Due to the intense last couple of weeks and my incredible experience at the Olympics, I need to recover so that I can hopefully be at my best for the remainder of the US summer swing. It was a difficult decision for me as I have had great memories from Canada and I can’t wait to be back next year!”
Canadian Raonic will miss out on playing in his hometown as he continues to recover from injury. The 30-year-old’s best run at the National Bank Open came in Montreal in 2013 when he reached the final, losing to Rafael Nadal, after a memorable semifinal victory over compatriot Vasek Pospisil.
“I am heartbroken and saddened to have to withdraw from this year’s National Bank Open,” Raonic said. “Playing at home in front of Canadian fans was something I was looking forward to after a long and trying period over the recent year and a half. I am grateful for all the work that has gone into making the event happen. As well, I would like to thank all the essential workers that have gotten us here for this to be possible. This decision is not an easy one but I have to make the right choice so I can recover and be back on court as soon as possible.”
A two-time title winner in Canada, 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer won his first National Bank Open in 2004 after beating the United States’ Andy Roddick in the final. The Swiss star next lifted the trophy in 2006 when he defeated Richard Gasquet in the championship match. He will not be competing in Toronto due to a knee injury.
World No. 8 and recent Wimbledon finalist Berrettini is still in the final stages of recovering from a thigh injury, while Carreno Busta will also not be coming to Toronto. As a result of these withdrawals, John Millman, Sebastian Korda, Jan-Lennard Struff, Lloyd Harris and Benoit Paire will take the five available spots in the main draw.
“We are of course disappointed that Milos [Raonic], Alexander [Zverev], Roger [Federer], Matteo [Berrettini] and Pablo [Carreno Busta] will not be competing in Toronto this year,” commented Karl Hale, Tournament Director for the National Bank Open in Toronto. “For Milos in particular, we know he was looking forward to playing in front of a Canadian crowd in his home tournament. However, we fully understand their decisions and wish them all the best for the rest of the season. We hope they will all return to Toronto in two years’ time.”
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