TORONTO- Apparently Andy Roddick has a boo-boo. And Toronto tennis fans are also booing over the loss of another major draw from the Rogers Cup.
On Sunday, Roddick gave notice to Tennis Canada organizers that a strain in his left side is too severe for him to compete. “I will be working hard this week and I am optimistic to be back in top form for the US Open.”
The absence of the ATP No. 10 seed is the second major loss for Tennis Canada organizers, who were informed earlier in the week that Andre Agassi would also not be participating. Rogers Cup tournament director, Grant Connell, remained optimistic about the event.
“The 2006 Rogers Cup presented by American Express remains as one of the strongest player fields in tournament history with 17 of the Top 20 players, including ATP No.1 Roger Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal,” he said.
While the appeal of the Rogers Cup is its hard court surface and the warm-up that it provides to players before the U.S. Open, it’s clear that injuries are becoming a growing problem as some choose to use the time to recover.
A former player himself, Connell said that he understands that these things can happen.
“As a former player on tour, I know that all players experience some type of nagging injury,” he said. “When he cancelled his flight from Texas, I knew his injury was still an issue. Andy loves the hard court surface and I’m certain he wishes he could play in Toronto.”
Roddick will be replaced by the highest unseeded player in the tournament, Robby Ginepri. Ginepri becomes the 17th seed and takes over Roddick’s spot as the ninth seed in the tournament. Ginepri will now face a qualifier in the first round.
The tournament runs until Aug. 13.
More information and tickets are available at rogerscup.com
Inside Pulse will be providing continuing live coverage of the event.
