Serbia's Novak Djokovic slams a forehand to Spain's Rafael Nadal during their men's singles second round match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
MONTREAL – The National Bank Open in Montreal lost one of its star headliners on Monday with the announcement that Novak Djokovic was pulling out of next week’s ATP 1000 tournament.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner is competing for Serbia in the men’s singles tennis competition at the Paris Olympics and has reached the third round after eliminating longtime rival Rafael Nadal of Spain on Monday.
The 37-year-old Djokovic, a four-time champion at the Canadian Masters event, has never won an Olympic gold medal with his best result being bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games.
“While we’re disappointed that Novak will be unable to take part in this year’s tournament, we understand his decision and wish him the best at the Olympics and the remainder of his season,” said Montreal tournament director Valérie Tétreault. “He’s an incredible player, and we know our fans were excited to have him back at IGA Stadium this summer. That being said, our tournament still boasts an exceptional list of players for this year’s event with 42 of the 43 best players in the world, and we can’t wait to see them in action soon.”
Roman Safiullin will replace Djokovic and gain automatic entry into the main draw in Montreal.
The tournament’s official draw, for both the men’s event in Montreal and the women’s event in Toronto, will be held Saturday with qualification beginning Sunday.
The Paris Olympics means this year’s National Bank Open will start and end a day later than usual.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2024.
