Sports: After Novak now Ons Jabeur withdraws from National Bank Tennis

Tennis fans in Toronto and Montreal will miss this year’s losing finalists in men’s and women’s singles during the ensuing national Bank Open Tennis championships.

While Novak had announced his decision to skip the Toronto event earlier, Ons Jabeur of Tunisia decided to withdraw, citing a knee injury as the reason.

Tennis Canada announced that Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, World No. 6, has withdrawn from the 2023 edition of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers. Jabeur, who reached the final at Wimbledon – her third Grand Slam final appearance – will have to skip the event in Montreal due to a knee injury. “I feel sad that I have to withdraw from the National Bank Open in Montreal,” said Jabeur. “I hope to come back to my fans next year in Canada. Lots of love!”

“We are obviously disappointed that Ons (Jabeur) will not be joining us this year. She is an exceptionally talented player, who is highly appreciated not only by fans, but also by the entire tennis community,” said Valérie Tétreault, Tournament Director of the National Bank Open in Montreal.

“On the other hand, we still have an extremely strong player field with 19 of the Top 20 players in the world. Fans can therefore expect an unforgettable experience during their visit to IGA Stadium.” Due to Jabeur’s withdrawal, rising star Linda Noskova of Czechia, who is ranked No. 59 in the world, will avoid a passage through qualifying and will move directly to the main draw.

This season, the 18-year-old reached her first WTA Tour-level final in Adelaide, defeating top-seeds Daria Kasatkina (No. 3) and Jabeur (No. 1) en route to the championship match. She will be making her first appearance at the National Bank Open.