World No. 2 Novak Djokovic, after his loss in a marathon final of nearly five hours at Wimbledon, has withdrawn from the National Bank Open in Toronto due to fatigue, tournament organizers announced Sunday.
The 36-year-old Serbian had won four straight Wimbledon singles titles before top seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain defeated him 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 on July 16 in London.
“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.”
Djokovic last competed in the ATP Masters 1000 event in 2018 and sports a 37-7 overall record at the tournament, winning the singles title four times.
The 2023 event is Aug. 7-13, with the men playing in Toronto and the women in Montreal.
“Of course, we’re disappointed that Novak won’t be playing at the National Bank Open this year,” Hale said in a statement. “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.”
Djokovic has a 33-5 mark this year with titles at the Australian Open, the French Open and Adelaide.
His withdrawal from Toronto led Christopher Eubanks to be given automatic entry into the main draw. Eubanks, a 27-year-old from Atlanta, made a Cinderella run to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
–Field Level Media
