The most recent champion from Montreal, Rafael Nadal, will not be competing this year and Stefanos Tsitsipas joked about the Spaniard's absence.
Wherever Rafael Nadal appears, he's considered as one of the top favourites and it wouldn't be any different at this year's ATP 1000 event in Montreal. However, the 22-time Grand Slam champion won't compete as he needs time to heal his injury and it gives a chance to many youngsters.
One of them is also Stefanos Tsitsipas who is the third-seeded at the ATP 1000 event in Montreal. The Greek will start against one of the qualifiers and he can meet Maxime Cressy, Aslan Karatsev, Pedro Martinez or the seventeenth-seeded Gael Monfils in the third round if he succeeds against one of the qualifiers. Ahead of the tournament, he was asked about Nadal's withdrawal, when he joked:
"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," Tsitsipas joked.
When asked about the conditions in Montreal, where the Greek never triumphed before, he said:
"Courts are slower than I expected, which I like," Tsitsipas said. "But I have only had two practice sessions. I want to give it a bit more time."
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