Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic will not participate in the National Bank Open, set to take place from Aug. 5 to 14 in Montreal.
Tennis Canada did not provide an explanation for Djokovic's withdrawal, which was announced Thursday along with the distribution of passes to Canadians Alexis Galarneau and Vasek Pospisil, Britain's Andy Murray and Belgium's David Goffin.
The Canadian government still requires a 14-day quarantine for anyone not vaccinated against COVID-19 arriving in the country. Djokovic, who is reportedly unvaccinated against COVID-19, missed the Indian Wells and Miami Masters earlier this season because the U.S. does not allow unvaccinated non-citizens to enter.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion's vaccination status could also prevent him from competing at the US Open later this summer.
Last weekend, Djokovic said he was preparing as if he would be able to play at Flushing Meadows.
Djokovic, 35, was able to play at Wimbledon, which he ended up winning, as well as the French Open where he lost in the quarter-finals to the eventual champion Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard holds the men's record with 22 major singles titles.
However, Djokovic missed the Australian Open in January after being deported from the country due to his vaccination status.
Tennis Canada also reported that Germany's Oscar Otte, ranked 41st on the ATP rankings, was also withdrawing from the National Bank Open. In his case, he had to withdraw due to injury.
As a result of these two withdrawals, Benjamin Bonzi from France, ranked 51st in the world, and Australian Nick Kyrgios, ranked 63rd, will advance directly to the main draw.
INVITATIONS FOR TWO CANADIANS
The news was also better for Murray, Galarneau, Pospisil, and Goffin.
Murray has won the Canadian tournament three times in his career (2009, 2010, and 2015). He has moved up quickly this year from 134th to 50th spot in the rankings. In recent months, he has reached the finals at both the Sydney and Stuttgart tournaments.
Galarneau is ranked 238th in the world after starting the season ranked 378th. Last Sunday, he reached the final of the Winnipeg National Bank Challenger, beating tournament favourite Liam Broady, ranked 131st in the world, along the way.
Pospisil, ranked 141st, will be competing in the National Bank Open for the 14th time. This season, he was crowned champion at the Quimper Challenger and reached the quarter-finals at the Dallas Open. His best result in Montreal came in 2013, when he lost in the semifinals to compatriot Milos Raonic.
Finally, Goffin, who is ranked 60th, recently reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Being a former world No. 7, he will surely be looking to improve on his best result in Canada, which was an appearance in the round of 16.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press in French on Aug. 4, 2022.
