Novak Djokovic will not be coming to the 2024 Canadian Open in Montreal, choosing to withdraw from the hard-court ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
The Canadian Open forms part of the North American hard-court swing and is an important tuneup tournament for the US Open. The men's entry list was previously announced and featured four-time champion Djokovic, defending champion Jannik Sinner, and World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz.
But Djokovic is the first high-profile name to withdraw from the tournament, as expected. The news of his absence from Canada came shortly after he progressed into the last 16 of the Olympic Games tennis tournament in Paris.
Djokovic defeated his old rival Rafael Nadal in straight sets on Tuesday afternoon in their marquee second-round match. It was their 60th and possibly last head-to-head meeting.
In a statement posted on the tournament's official website, Djokovic said he was "disappointed" to miss the tournament, which he holds some of his fondest memories of on a tennis court.
"I’m disappointed to announce my withdrawal from the National Bank Open in Montreal. I have a lot of great memories from Montreal, winning two titles there (and two others in Toronto)."
In addition, the former World No. 1 opined that he was forced into making a "hard choice" regarding his schedule in light of his recent meniscus tear, which required surgery, and the packed tennis calendar that has no room for rest between now and the end of the season.
"However, as I'm recovering from my injury in a very busy calendar this summer, I need to make hard choices. I really hope I can return to Canada and Montreal in the coming years to play in front of their amazing fans."
Djokovic's withdrawal was forthcoming, and there will likely be many more before the tournament begins on Tuesday, August 6th. Players who are competing at the Olympic Games and make a deep run there will probably have to postpone their start of the summer hard-court swing at least until mid-August.
Tournament organizers are aware of this situation and are powerless to stop it, with Montreal director Valerie Tetreault insisting that Djokovic's absence doesn't diminish the event's star power.
"While we’re disappointed that Novak [Djokovic] will be unable to take part in this year’s tournament, we understand his decision and wish him the best at the Olympics and the remainder of his season."
"He’s an incredible player, and we know our fans were excited to have him back at IGA Stadium this summer. That being said, our tournament still boasts an exceptional list of players for this year’s event with 42 of the 43 best players in the world, and we can’t wait to see them in action soon."
Djokovic will be replaced in the main draw by Russia's Roman Safiullin. Since losing to Andy Murray in the 2015 final, the Serb has never been to Montreal and only played the 2018 edition of the Canadian Open in Toronto, although this hasn't affected his form at the US Open in the slightest.
Last year, he skipped this Masters 1000 tournament and won his fourth US Open title. For now, it looks like Djokovic's next stop after the Olympics will be in Cincinnati.
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