By Canadian Press

World No. 1 Djokovic, No. 12 del Potro withdraw from Rogers Cup

Jul 25, 2019 | 3:47 PM

MONTREAL — The field for the upcoming men’s Rogers Cup took a big hit Thursday after Tennis Canada announced that world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 12 Juan Martin del Potro are withdrawing from the tournament.

Djokovic is the second elite player to withdraw from the event after No. 3 Roger Federer announced two weeks ago that he will not be competing.

With Djokovic’s withdrawal, Rafael Nadal becomes the top seed for the tournament, which runs Aug. 2-11 at Montreal’s IGA Stadium. Nadal won last year’s tournament in Toronto.

Djokovic is coming off his 16th career Grand Slam title earlier this month at Wimbledon, where he defeated Federer in the final.

“I’m sorry to announce that I decided to pull out of Rogers Cup,” Djokovic said Thursday in a statement. “With the support of my team, I have decided to give my body longer rest and recovery time before coming back again to play.

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“I love Canada and I have many friends there that always make me feel like I’m at home and I’m looking forward to coming back again to play in front of all of you in Montreal.”

Djokovic is a four-time Rogers Cup champion, winning titles in Montreal in 2007 and 2011.

Del Potro injured himself during a match against Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., in a Wimbledon warmup tournament. He has since underwent surgery on the patella of his right knee.

Frenchman Richard Gasquet and Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan will take the two available spots in the main draw.

The Canadian Press