Murray pulls out of Rogers Cup

Curious anecodte about Andy Murray’s arrival in Serbia last Thursday.

Three-time major victor and defending Rogers Cup champion Andy Murray has withdrawn from next week’s ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto to focus on the upcoming Olympic games.

Murray’s announcement comes eight days after his Wimbledon triumph and three weeks before he’s scheduled to start play at the Rio Olympics.

Andy Murray will not defend his Rogers Cup title, withdrawing from the tournament citing a need for rest.

“I’m sorry to my fans in Toronto but I look forward to being back in Canada next year”, he added further. However, he has had mixed success, winning only two out of the five, being beaten by current world number 1 Novak Djokovic in three consecutive finals, including the French Open.

With the Olympics in the mix this season, an already packed tennis schedule – which includes four Grand Slams, Davis Cup and nine Masters-1000 level events – is all the busier for the top players, who usually play deeper into tournaments and rack up more matches. Meanwhile he will arrive in Mallorca, Spain, on Wednesday and will probably practice with the Spaniard player Rafael Nadal, whose partecipation at Toronto, which takes place next week, is in doubt.

Meanwhile Murray, the world’s second-ranked player, will miss the Rogers Cup while he preps for Rio.

“Andy has been very loyal to our event over the years, but certainly we are disappointed he has chosen not to be in Toronto this year”, tournament director Karl Hale said in a news release.

The Rogers Cup will run from July 23-31 and the tennis competition at the Rio Olympics will be held August 6-14.