Rafael Nadal will return to action next week in Montreal. He will be the favourite at the 2019 Rogers Cup in Montreal, Tennis Canada said after taking into account the update of the official classification of ATP Monday morning.
Nadal, the world No. 2, and the next seven seeds will also benefit from an exemption for the first round. The Spaniard will covet his fifth career Rogers Cup title, and he will struggle to defend his title won last year in Toronto.
“I think this year I’m going with good fitness, preparation and I feel strong. I’ll soon travel to Montreal as I want to spend some days there to finish my preparation.” Nadal said.
Austria’s Dominic Thiem, who is fourth in the standings, will be the second seed following the withdrawal of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. Germany’s Alexander Zverev, the men’s champion in Montreal in 2017, will be the third seed.
“We are looking forward to kicking off the 2019 edition of our tournament, as we also get ready to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Montreal event,” tournament director Eugene Lapierre said.
“During the past few years, we have seen some exceptional tennis and a number of memorable matches between tour veterans and the next generation of talent.
“This year, we also have the opportunity to see many of our Canadian players take part in their home tournament. We are ready for a great week of tennis.” Lapierre added.
On the women’s side, world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty will be the favourite at the Rogers Cup in Toronto. The Australian will participate in her second tournament only as No. 1 in the world, having notably won her first major career title at the French Open in June. She reached the quarter-finals at the Rogers Cup in Montreal last year, and was crowned doubles champion.
Japan’s Naomi Osaka and Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic will be the two seeded players in the next order. No representative of the Maple Leaf is among the top 16 seeds in the Toronto tournament.
The official drawing of the main draws of the two tournaments, which will determine the clashes of the week, will be made on Friday.
