World No. 2 Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the National Bank Open.
Tennis Canada announced on Sunday that Djokovic had to pull out of the only Canadian stop on the ATP Tour schedule due to fatigue. The 36-year-old, 23-time Grand Slam champion reached the final of Wimbledon last weekend, falling narrowly to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in a marathon championship match.
“I have always enjoyed my time in Canada but after speaking with my team, we believe this is the right decision to take,” said Djokovic, who has won the National Bank Open four times.
Christopher Eubanks of the United States will gain automatic entry into the main draw as Djokovic’s replacement. Eubanks is fresh off a surprising quarter-finals run at Wimbledon, where he beat No. 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and No. 12 seed Cameron Norrie en route to the final eight.
“Of course, we’re disappointed that Novak won’t be playing at the National Bank Open this year,” said Hale. “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.”
Toronto’s Sobeys Stadium will host the men’s side of the national tennis championship from Aug. 3 to Aug. 13. The women’s side will be at Montreal’s IGA Stadium at the same time.
Russian Zvonareva denied entry into Poland
Russian tennis player Vera Zvonareva has been banned from entering Poland, the country’s Ministry of the Interior says. She was to participate in a WTA 250 tournament in Warsaw.
A communique on the ministry website says the Border Guard on Friday prevented entry by the former world No. 2, who flew in from Belgrade on a French visa. She remained in the transit zone of the Warsaw airport and on Saturday flew to Podgorica, Montenegro.
Zvonareva, currently ranked 60th, was to take part in the PNB Paribas Warsaw Open tournament that begins Monday.
The 38-year-old player was still on the event’s participants’ list on Sunday. The WTA said in a statement it was evaluating the situation.
Poland, which supports Ukraine in its war against Russia’s aggression, said that Zvonareva was on a banned list and has not been allowed into the country for reasons of state and public security.
The communique stressed that Poland is consistent in opposing the “regime of [Russian and Belarusian Presidents Vladimir] Putin and [Alexander] Lukashenko” and is not allowing “people who support Russian and Belarusian actions to enter our country.”
Pedro Cachin wins Swiss Open for 1st career title
On a perfect Sunday for Argentine tennis player Pedro Cachin, he won his first tour-level title at age 28 then shared courtside hugs with his girlfriend and smoochy kisses with their pet dog.
Cachin’s tears flowed quickly after his first final ended with a 3-6, 6-0, 7-5 win over Spanish veteran Albert Ramos-Vinolas at the Swiss Open.
The 90th-ranked Argentine clinched the title at sun-bathed Gstaad in the Swiss Alps with a double-handed backhand for a cross-court winner.
The victory will lift Cachin toward a career-best ranking of No. 54 he reached last year. His career was slowed by neck and ankle injuries and he entered the top 100 for the first time one year ago.
