Roger Federer withdraws from Rogers Cup, citing scheduling issues

Tennis-Federer-hitting-ball-at-Wimbledon

Switzerland's Roger Federer returns the ball to Kevin Anderson of South Africa during their men's quarterfinals match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. (Ben Curtis/AP)

Roger Federer has withdrawn from the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

Citing scheduling issues and wanting to keep his own playing career going for as long as possible because of them, the 20-time Grand Slam winner and current No. 2-ranked player expressed regret for missing the annual Canadian tennis tournament this year.

“I’m so disappointed not to play at the Rogers Cup this summer,” said Federer in a statement. “I had a fantastic time in Montreal last year and always enjoy playing in front of the Canadian fans, but unfortunately with scheduling being the key to my longevity moving forward, I have regrettably decided to withdraw from Toronto this year. I wish the tournament every success and am sorry to miss it.”

Though Federer won’t be in attendance, other luminaries of the sport will still be in participation — such as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, and Canadians Milos Raonic and Denis Shapovalov.

The Rogers Cup runs from Aug. 4 to 12 in Toronto for the men, while the women’s tournament will play out in Montreal from Aug. 3 to 12.

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