Defending Montreal champion Rafa Nadal has withdrawn from this year's competition, with Stefanos Tsitsipas joking about his absence.
Such is the aura of Rafa Nadal that wherever he turns up he is considered as one of the main favourites to walk home with the trophy, and this year's Masters 1000 tournament in Montreal would have been no different.
That was up until the Spaniard announced he was not going to be participating at the tournament in Canada. Prioritising recovering from a niggling injury, it means he will not be able to defend his title from last year.
On hearing the news that the man from Mallorca will not be at the event, players have been reacting to the absence. For Stefanos Tsitsipas, every cloud has a silver lining, with the Greek explaining how no Nadal means that his chances of claiming the crown have improved:
"I wouldn't say it's good or bad [news], but it helps. [Nadal] has way too many titles. We do miss him, but it's a bit of help for sure,"
Seeded third for his week in Montreal, the Greek is set to start against a qualifier, with him facing a potential third-round tie against either Maxime Cressy, Aslan Karatsev, Pedro Martinez or the seventeenth-seeded Gael Monfils should he see off his competition.
When asked about the conditions in Montreal, Tsitstipas, who has never won the title here in Canada, said the following:
"The courts are slower than I expected, which I like. But I have only had two practice sessions. I want to give it a bit more time."
It promises to be a thrilling tournament wherever you look, with players all desperate to battle it out in order to go into the hotly-contested US Open with the best possible form to end the year on a high.