Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from Canadian Open after Olympic Games run

Carlos Alcaraz will not play at the Canadian Open (Omnium Banque Nationale) which begins on August 6. He has withdrawn ahead of the draw which takes place this weekend.

Alcaraz is into the semi-finals of the Olympic Games where he faces the winner of Casper Ruud v Felix Auger-Aliassime. If he loses he will play a bronze medal match so it will prolong his stay in Paris.

A lot of players especially in the WTA decided against the Olympic Games with the US hard court swing in mind. Novak Djokovic also withdrew earlier this week but usually doesn't play Canada. But both are still involved in the latter stages.

The surface change and also the jet lag would likely prove problematic and with Alcaraz having a stacked schedule, it is likely wise. The Spaniard will play Cincinnati where he defends a final, then the US Open. He then plays Laver Cup and Davis Cup in September back-to-back.

But one foe he won't meet as a result is Tommy Paul who he defeated earlier today and has lost to the previous two years. As well as Alcaraz, Jiri Lehecka who has struggled with injury and Francisco Cerundolo also won't play. As a result, Marcos Giron, Alexei Popyrin and Flavio Cobolli have earned their spots in the main draw.

"It has been a very long season for me and due to the accumulation of matches and fatigue, I will not be able to play in Montreal this year,” said Alcaraz. "I was really looking forward to coming back to Canada and enjoying the love of the fans. Hope to see everyone in Montreal in the years to come!”

“We are obviously disappointed that Carlos [Alcaraz] will not be with us this year. At 21 years of age, he already has 15 titles – four of which are at Grand Slam events. Fans were naturally eager to see him back in action at IGA Stadium, but we were also well aware that he's had a busy summer and is currently on a quest to achieve a major feat: winning consecutive French Open, Wimbledon and Olympic titles,” said Valérie Tétreault, director of the Montréal tournament. “He's still at the early stages of his career, so we'll definitely have the chance to see him again in the coming years. Once we've looked past our initial disappointment, we have to consider the tournament as a whole, which remains extremely competitive, with the vast majority of the world's best players in attendance.”