"Nadal has way too many titles, we do miss him, but it's a bit of help for sure" - Stefanos Tsitsipas jokes about Spaniard's withdrawal from the Canadian Open
Rafael Nadal, a winner of five titles at the Canadian Open, unfortunately had to pull out of the 2022 edition at the last minute after experiencing a slight "discomfort" during his most recent training session.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is one of the beneficiaries of the Spaniard's withdrawal, having moved up one spot as a result to become the third seed. The Greek was in Montreal yesterday for the draw ceremony, where he was asked his thoughts on the 22-time Grand Slam champion's absence.
True to character, the World No. 5 treated the news with humor, joking around that he wasn't entirely sad to see the World No. 3 not available at the ATP1000 tournament since he already had "way too many" titles to his name.
While Tsitsipas admitted that the former World No. 1's fellow players would definitely miss him, it would be nice to be free of Nadal's dominance in at least one big tournament this year.
"I wouldn't say it's good or bad [news], but it helps. [Nadal] has way too many titles. We do miss him, but it's a bit of help for sure," Tsitsipas said.
Quote of the day by @MapleLeafFoods ⤵️
@steftsitsipas being fully transparent about whether Rafa Nadal's withdrawal is good or bad news: it doesn't hurt to not have a tennis legend in the draw every once in a while! 😆
#NBO22 https://t.co/iMXR8zMbLZ
The 23-year-old went on to talk about the nature of the courts at the Canadian Open, noting that they were slower than he expected them to be. While the Greek revealed that he preferred them to be like that, he wanted to log more practice sessions to get used to them before his opener at the tournament.
"Courts are slower than I expected, which I like," Tsitsipas said. "But I have only had two practice sessions. I want to give it a bit more time."
Tsitsipas: "Courts are slower than I expected, which I like. But I have only had two practice sessions, I want to give it a bit more time" #OBN22
Rafael Nadal will be hoping to be fully fit in time for the Cincinnati Open up next
Following his withdrawal from the Canadian Open, Rafael Nadal will be hoping to be fully recovered in time for the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati up next. The ATP1000 event is scheduled to kick off on August 14, immediately following the end of the competition in Canada.
Canadian Open Titles:
Nadal: 5
Djokovic: 4
Federer: 2
Unlike the Canadian Open, the Spaniard has won the tournament only once so far. The triumph came all the way back in 2013, when he defeated John Isner in the final to win his then-record 26th Masters 1000 title.
Hope to see @RafaelNadal back in action soon! 🙏 https://t.co/0noV1qNiGa
After a stint in Cincinnati, the 22-time Grand Slam champion will be moving on to New York for the US Open -- a tournament he has won four times till date. The World No. 3 will be joined by defending champion Daniil Medvedev, teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz and World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, among others at the final Grand Slam of the year, where he will be hoping to win a record 23rd Major title.