Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal doesn’t bother the Canadian Open director who’s counting on Carlos Alcaraz and others

Toronto Open director Karl Hale gives his views regarding Novak Djokovic's decision to not participate in the competition this year.

Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal doesn’t bother the Canadian Open director who’s counting on Carlos Alcaraz and others

Novak Djokovic in action during a match. (credits: Eurosport)

With the Toronto Open set to take place in the next week, a lot of players have already reached Canada and started their preparations for the tournament. But the competition has faced a real blow with one of the top players in the world set to be not present this year. World No. 2 Novak Djokovic has been taking time out from tennis after his harsh defeat to Carlos Alcaraz last week at the Wimbledon Championships final.

Toronto Open director Karl Hale stated his views on this incident saying that he was expecting this to happen but the official decision disgusted him thereby also breaking his heart. Despite that, he feels there won’t be any shortage of competitiveness with players like Alcaraz expected to bring significant value into the tournament, giving the competition the recognition it deserves.

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Hale said, “We are obviously disappointed that Novak is not taking part in the National Bank Open this year. He’s a fantastic player and we know our fans were looking forward to seeing him at Sobeys Stadium. He will be missed, but we still have a long list of sensational players confirmed for this year’s tournament, including 41 of the top 42 players in the world.“

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Read More: WATCH: Carlos Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero gets emotional while sharing a hug as the Spaniard beats Novak Djokovic to win the Wimbledon title

Has Djokovic lost his desire for competitiveness?

Collage Maker 24 Jul 2023 04 50 PM 1242
Novak Djokovic after losing a point during the Wimbledon final. (credits: Fox News)

Novak Djokovic is the epitome of practice, determination, and intense hard work. The amount of work the Serbian puts into himself for the betterment of his technicality and skillset is simply unparalleled. But is the 23-time Grand Slam winner finally losing his thirst and hunger for titles, or he is losing the urge for competitiveness?

Novak has through the years been battling it out against the top two tennis players of all time: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal finally and ultimately edging both in terms of Grand Slams title last month at the French Open. Now that Federer has retired and Nadal has been out of the sport for a long time, it has left a big void in Novak’s determination and urge to stay at the top.

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