NEW YORK (AP) — Marin Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion, and Denis Shapovalov will miss the tournament this year because of knee injuries.
Cilic used his title in Flushing Meadows and runner-up finishes at Wimbledon in 2017 and the Australian Open in 2018 to reach as high as No. 3 in the ranking. But the Croatian has fallen to No. 121 this week after playing in just two matches _ none in Grand Slam tournaments _ this year.
Shapovalov hasn’t played since a fourth-round loss at Wimbledon to Roman Safiullin on July 9. He had reached the semifinals there two years earlier for his best Grand Slam result.
The Canadian wrote in a social media post Wednesday that he had done everything possible to be healthy for the Aug. 28 start of play but that his knee needed more time.
“Despite doing everything possible to be 100% healthy in time for (the) U.S. Open, my knee needs more time and I sadly have to withdraw,” Shapovalov wrote. “That grand slam energy, especially in NYC, is unlike anything else and I’m really going to miss playing in front of the amazing fans there this year!”
Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., acknowledged he was dealing with a knee issue after losing to Russia’s Roman Safiullin in the round of 16 at Wimbledon last month.
Shapovalov dropped out of his hometown National Bank Open earlier this month in Toronto.
Ranked 22nd in the world, Shapovalov has advanced to the third round or better in all six of his previous U.S. Open appearances. His best result was a quarterfinal showing in 2020.
The tournament starts Aug. 28.