Denis Shapovalov is pulling out of the U.S. Open.
The tennis star from Richmond Hill, Ont., made the announcement on social media Wednesday.
Shapovalov stated he had done everything he could to be healthy for the Grand Slam event, but needs more time to recover from a knee injury.
The 24-year-old had withdrawn from the recent National Bank Open in Toronto because of the same injury.
Shapovalov hasn’t played since a fourth-round loss at Wimbledon to Roman Safiullin on July 9. He had reached the semifinals there two years earlier for his best Grand Slam result.
Shapovalov’s best U.S. Open finish was the quarterfinals in 2020. He is presently ranked 22nd in the world after reaching as high as No. 10.
“Despite doing everything possible to be 100% healthy in time for @usopen, my knee needs more time and I sadly have to withdraw. That grand slam energy, especially in NYC, is unlike anything else and I’m really going to miss playing in front of the amazing fans there this year! “ stated on instagram.
Main draw Starts Aug. 28
Former World No. 1 players Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki headline the eight women who received wild-card entries into the main draw of the U.S. Open.
Play in the main draw begins Aug. 28 in New York.
Others receiving tournament entries are Americans Ashlyn Krueger, Robin Montgomery, Kayla Day and Clervie Ngounoue, as well as Australia’s Storm Hunter and France’s Fiona Ferro.
Williams earned the U.S. Open in 2000 and 2001, two of her seven Grand Slam wins. Now 43, she will be making her 24th U.S. Open appearance.
Injuries kept Williams out the first six months of the year, but she competed at Wimbledon and the Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio.
Williams lost to eventual runner-up Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the first round in London. At the WTA 1000 event near Cincinnati, she defeated Veronika Kudermetova in the first round on Monday for her first top-20 win since 2019.
Wozniacki, 33, returned to competition last week in Montreal for the first time since the 2020 Australian Open. She retired from tennis, gave birth to two children, and decided to return to the tour this summer.
The 2018 Australian Open champion, Wozniacki won her first match at the National Bank Open at Montreal but was defeated in the second round by Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic.
She dropped her first-round match at the Cincinatti Open to lucky loser Varvara Gracheva, who represents France.
Wozniacki, from Denmark, is a two-time finalist at the U.S. Open, finishing as the runner-up in 2009 and 2014. She lost to Belgium’s Kim Clijsters in 2009 and to Serena Williams in the later match.
