A recovering Novak Djokovic will not be competing at the 2023 ATP Masters 1000 Toronto. After losing a close fought 2023 Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz, the 36-year old Serb is currently spending time with his family. Though the Serb has already shown interest in meeting the 20-year old again in the New York, many wanted to see them clash sooner than that. One of those events could have been National Bank Open in Toronto, as both players appeared on the entry list of the Masters-1000 level event. However, it was broken out by some media outlets that Djokovic will not appear at the Canadian hard courts and now it is confirmed by the Serb himself.
He didn’t mention Canadian Open in the tournaments he will participate in the remainder 2023 season but now it is clear that he will not be travelling to Toronto.
The 23-time Grand Slam Champion confirmed his withdrawal from the tournament as cited physical fatigue as the reason for his decision in a statement that also thanked tournament director Karl Hale for respecting the decision.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
For the tournament, it will certainly not be the news they wanted to hear as they missed a chance to host a blockbuster Djokovic-Alcaraz clash for another episode of a growing rivalry.
Tournament Director Karl Hale
While sharing his thoughts on Djokovic’s withdrawal, tournament director Karl Hale expressed his disappointment but also assured the audiences that the entry list of the Canadian Open is star-studded regardless.
“Of course, we’re disappointed that Novak won’t be playing at the National Bank Open this year,” Hale said. “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.”
Eubanks gets the Boost
While millions of upset tennis fans will have to wait for another mouth-watering edition of Djokovic-Alcaraz match, already basking in the glitz and glam of a fairytale run at Wimbledon, Chris Eubanks, now #31 seed, will be benefitted by Djokovic’s withdrawal to make it to the main draw of the event.
Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from #NBO23 due to fatigue. As a result, Wimbledon quarter-finalist Christopher Eubanks will now gain automatic entry into the main draw.
Read: ⤵️https://t.co/Mi74EN339B pic.twitter.com/tCXxKXqr2g
— National Bank Open (@NBOtoronto) July 23, 2023
Eubanks certainly cannot have a better season than this as he bagged his maiden title at the Mallorca Championships in June before making it the quarters in his first main draw appearance at Wimbledon and in doing so he edged passed the likes of fifth seed Stefanos Tsitispas and British hope Cameron Norrie.
Djokovic will participate in Cincinnati
After pulling out of Canadian Masters which he has not played since 2018, Djokovic is currently on the entry list for the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. The Serb salted to play at the ATP 1000-level event, will make his first tournament run on US soil since 2021.
Novak Missing on #1 Bid
With Djokovic already on a deficit of 580 ranking points to Alcaraz, the 23-time Slam winner would see the gap closing ahead of Montreal as the Spaniard will lose 150 points he needed to defend in Umag (Croatia Open). However, despite shedding those ranking points, if the 20-year old registers a triumphant run at Montreal, then he would definitely be in the pole position entering the Flushing Meadows.