Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from National Bank Open in Montreal

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the National Bank Open in Montreal due to fatigue, announced Tennis Canada on Thursday.

Already the crown champion from four major tournaments, the 21-year-old is still in contention for the Paris Olympics.

He will face Montrealer Félix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals on Friday.

Alcaraz won the French Open and Wimbledon this year. He has 15 career titles to his name.

“It’s been a very long season for me. Because of the number of matches I’ve played and the fatigue I’ve accumulated, I won’t be able to play in Montreal this year,” said Alcaraz. “I was really looking forward to coming back to Canada and enjoying the love from the fans. I hope to see all the fans in Montreal again in the years to come!”

Organizers already had to deal with the absence of world No. 2 Novak Djokovic, who withdrew on Monday.

On Thursday, Djokovic will face Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Olympics. 

“We’re certainly very disappointed that Carlos won’t be able to join us,” said Montreal tournament director Valérie Tétreault. “He was obviously eagerly awaited by fans and we were all looking forward to seeing him back in action at the IGA Stadium. He’s at the start of his career, and we’ll have the chance to see him again in the coming years.”

She added that “The tournament remains extremely competitive, with the vast majority of the world’s best players in attendance.” 

Francisco Cerundolo (ranked 26th in the world) and Jiri Lehecka (ranked 30th) have also withdrawn from the tournament.

Three players have therefore been added to the draw: Marcos Giron from the United States, Alexei Popyrin from Australia, and Flavio Cobolli from Italy.

The main draw matches will start on Tuesday.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews