Tennis fans in Canada in general and Toronto in particular were disappointed as Tennis Canada announced that Serbia’s Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the National Bank Open in Toronto due to fatigue.
The 36-year-old, 23-time Grand Slam champion who lost the final of Wimbledon last weekend, falling narrowly to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in a marathon title match, wants time to himself. He promises to return to Canada soon.
The Serbian star has some very pleasant memories of Canada, especially for his spree of successes at the National Bank Open in the past, winning the singles title four times.
“I have always enjoyed my time in Canada but after speaking with my team, we believe this is the right decision to take,” Djokovic said. “I would like to thank Karl Hale, the Tournament Director, for understanding this decision. I really hope I can return to Canada and Toronto in the coming years to play in front of great fans there.”
“Of course, we’re disappointed that Novak won’t be playing at the National Bank Open this year,” said Karl Hale, Tournament Director, National Bank Open – Toronto. “He’s an incredible player and one we know our fans were eager to watch at Sobeys Stadium. He will be missed but we still have a long list of sensational players confirmed for this year’s event, including 41 of the top 42 players in the world.”
Due to Djokovic’s withdrawal, the United States’ Christopher Eubanks will now gain automatic entry into the main draw. Eubanks is fresh off a stunning quarter-finals run at Wimbledon, where he beat No. 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and No. 12 seed Cameron Norrie en route to the last eight.