Novak Djokovic makes major schedule decision after victory over Rafael Nadal at Paris 2024
Novak Djokovic’s extended run at the Paris Olympics has resulted in a change to his North American hard-court schedule with the tennis great withdrawing from one of the biggest events on the calendar.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner remains on course for a first-ever gold medal at the Games after he produced an emphatic display to defeat 14-time Roland Garros winner Rafael Nadal in the second round in Paris.
Up next is Germany’s Dominik Koepfer on Wednesday, but by reaching the business end of the tournament Djokovic didn’t have much option but to withdraw from the Canadian Open.
The Olympic tournament ends on August 4 while the ATP 1000 main draw event gets underway on August 6, giving players who reach the latter stages in Paris very little time to travel between Europe and Montreal.
Djokovic is a four-time Canadian Open champion and, while the Olympics will have impacted his decision, he hasn’t featured at the Masters event since 2018.
“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,” Montreal tournament director Valérie Tétreault said.
“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.”
The reigning world No 2 still looking for his first title of the 2024 season with his best performance so far his run to the Wimbledon final where he finished runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz.
He has played in only nine tournaments so far this season and his next event after the Paris Olympics is set to be the Cincinnati Open where he is the defending champion.
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Last year Djokovic defeated Alcaraz in three epic sets to win his trophy title in Ohio and he followed it up with another title run at the US Open.
Djokovic, though, is unlikely to be the last big-name player to withdraw from the Canadian Open as the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev and Casper Ruud are also still alive at the Olympics.
There are also doubts over defending champion Jannik Sinner as the world No 1 skipped the Paris Games due to illness.
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