Roger Federer withdraws from Rogers Cup

Federer with the runners’ up trophy at Wimbledon this year

The Swiss, who is currently ranked World No. 2, issued a statement to Tennis Canada, publicised via the official website of the Rogers Cup or the Canadian Open.

He did not specify any reason in particular for his withdrawal, but said this in his statement –

“I am disappointed that I won’t be playing in Montreal because it’s a tournament and a city that I really enjoy and has incredible fans. My family and I have always received first class treatment from Tournament Director, Eugène Lapierre, and his team and I hope to be back in the future.”

Lapierre made the announcement last night, which was immediately released via the website.

The 17 Grand Slam winner has won the Open on two previous occasions – 2004 and 2006, when he reached victory in Toronto. He has reached the finals of the Cup on 3 other occasions – in 2007, 2010, and last year in 2014, where he lost to reigning champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

24-year-old Jerzy Janowicz of Poland, who reached a career-high ranking of 14th at singles, will come into the fray as Federer’s replacement in the main draw. Janowicz has played the Swiss before, losing to him at the quarter-final of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in 2013. At that same tournament, Janowicz had earlier beat reigning Rogers Cup champ Tsonga.

Tournament director Lapierre issued a statement of his own following Federer’s withdrawal, on behalf of himself and Tennis Canada:

“We are obviously disappointed to have Roger withdraw as it is always a privilege to watch him play,” said Eugène Lapierre. “We also understand his decision because, above all, he has always been very loyal to our event and we would love to see him play tennis for many more years to come.”