Novak Djokovic development leaves tennis fans saddened after Wimbledon heartbreak

A 'tired' Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the upcoming ATP 1000 event in Toronto in a sad postscript to his loss in the Wimbledon final. Djokovic went down to Carlos Alcaraz in a thrilling five-set final at the All England Club, but wasn't able to capture his 24th grand slam title.

The Serbian star looked absolutely spent at the end of his grass-court campaign, and on Monday it was announced that he won't take part in the National Bank Open in Toronto in early August. The 36-year-old is instead opting to rest his body before beginning his hard-court campaign at a later date, likely in Cincinnati.

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Tennis Canada announced that Djokovic had pulled out of the only Canadian stop on the ATP Tour and the first Masters 1000 event of the North America swing due to fatigue. "I have always enjoyed my time in Canada but after speaking with my team, we believe this is the right decision," said Djokovic, a four-time champion at the National Bank Open.

American rising star Christopher Eubanks will gain automatic entry into the main draw as Djokovic's replacement. Eubanks made a remarkable run to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, beating No.5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and home favourite Cameron Norrie en route to the last eight.

"Of course, we're disappointed that Novak won't be playing at the National Bank Open this year," said tournament director Karl Hale said. "He's an incredible player and one we know our fans were eager to watch. He will be missed but we still have a long list of sensational players confirmed for this year's event, including 41 of the top 42 players in the world."

Tennis fans were also disappointed to hear the news that Djokovic won't be back in action in Toronto. He hasn't played the event since 2018.

Novak Djokovic licking his wounds after Wimbledon loss

Djokovic cut a frustrated figure during the Wimbledon final and was later hit with an $8000 fine for smashing his racquet into the net post. "I didn't expect him to play so well this year on grass, but he's proven he's the best player in the world," he said of Alcaraz.

"I haven't played a player like him, ever. People have been talking in the past 12 months or so about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa, and myself. I would agree with that.

"He's got basically the best of all three worlds. He's got this Spanish bull mentality, fighting spirit and incredible defence that we've seen with Rafa. He's got some nice sliding backhands, some similarities with my backhands. He is a complete player."

The former World No.1 explained: "In the tiebreak in the second, the backhands kind of let me down. Set point, I missed the backhand. A little bit of a bad bounce, but I should not have missed that shot.

"I managed to regroup and regain the momentum midway in the fourth. I felt that the momentum shifted to my side. That break point (in the fifth), I played a really good point, but it was very windy and the wind took it to an awkward place where I couldn't hit the smash."

with AAP

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