MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev said Monday he will carry on as usual at this week’s ATP Montreal Masters despite the absence of his major rivals.
The weekend champion at Los Cabos flew to French-speaking Canada to defend his title from last August.
But the top seed will not have to face Novak Djokovic due to the Serbian’s refusal to take the Covid-19 vaccination while Rafael Nadal dropped out before the start as his abdominal injury from Wimbledon flared up during training in Spain.
Roger Federer’s presence has never even figured in the calculation as the Swiss, who turned 41 on Monday, puts finishing touches on his knee surgery recovery.
For Medvedev, it will just be business as usual on court.
“If the Big Three are in the tournament, they are the favorites straightaway,” he said.
“They win a lot of tournaments — almost every tournament they play — so there is no surprise when we make them favorites.”
“For me, it doesn’t change much if they’re here or not — my goal is to win the tournament. No matter who I play, I just want to win the match.”
The Russian does not automatically fancy his chances when it comes to facing the game’s trio of household names.