August 17, (THEWILL) – Croatia’s Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, and Canada’s Denis Shapovalov, have withdrawn from the upcoming US Open, according to an announcement by tournament officials.
Both players cited knee injuries for their decisions to skip the year’s final Grand Slam event on the New York hardcourts. The 34-year-old Cilic was a French Open semi-finalist in 2021 and ranked as high as third in the world. However, he has fallen to 121st in the ATP rankings and has played only twice this season, most recently losing in the first round last month in Umag, Croatia.
Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Shapovalov is currently ranked 22nd. He won his only ATP title in 2019 at Stockholm but has not played since reaching the round of 16 at Wimbledon last month.
“My knee needs more time and I sadly have to withdraw,” Shapovalov posted on social media this week. “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!”
With the withdrawals of Cilic and Shapovalov, South Korea’s Kwon Soon-woo and Hungary’s Attila Balazs claimed the vacant spots in the US Open main draw. Kwon is currently ranked 107th, while Balazs sits outside the top 200.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
