Roger Federer (world no. 3): “I have made the tough decision to withdraw from Rogers Cup. Toronto is one of my favourite events on the calendar and I am disappointed that I won’t be able to compete in front of the great tennis fans in Canada. Looking ahead, it is best for me that I take more time after Wimbledon. I look forward to coming back to Canada next year.”

Andy Murray (the Rogers Cup defending champion who hasn’t played since winning Wimbledon): “My body needs some recovery time.” 

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will not be making a last-minute withdrawal, however. Djokovic comes to the Rogers Cup in hopes of capturing the event for a fourth time. The tournament has made it clear that Djokovic will indeed appear at the Aviva Centre. His practice time is going to be 5:00 pm Saturday and Sunday at 12 noon.

With Murray, Federer and Rafael Nadal (the world no. 4 who hasn’t played since he left Roland Garros with a wrist injury) withdrawing, the draw of the Rogers Cup, beginning next week, opens up nicely for a few more hungry players, including Canada’s Vasek Pospisil. Pospisil now gains direct entry into the main draw instead of using the wild card position he was initially granted.

Final wild card spots for the ATP 1000 tournament will be announced later today.