Montreal Hoping Nadal and Federer Can Play

The organizers for the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Montreal next month (August 8-16) are hoping that two of the sport’s biggest stars will be able to play in the event.  I suspect they would draw a slightly smaller crowd if they were both absent but that’s just speculation.  Montrealers love summer festivals and events so they could end up with a great turn out either way.

They have good reason to wonder if Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will make the trek to the Canadian city.  Nadal had to bow out of Wimbledon this year due to a knee injury.  He has been resting and should be able to play by then but when it comes to physical ailments, it’s impossible to know how quickly a person will fully heal. 

Federer is not injured but his wife, Mirka, is due right around the time the tournament begins so he might want to stay close to home either way.  If she hasn’t delivered, he might not want to leave and miss the birth.  If she’s had the baby, he might not want to give up those precious first days with his son or daughter.  However, he lists the Rogers Cup on his schedule this year (on his official website) so I’m going to assume he is planning to go. 

The tournament director, Eugene Lapierre, is apparently ready to do just about anything to get him to the event.  He said, in a news conference:  "If ever his wife has already given birth, we’re offering him a house, along with a nurse, instead of having them stay at a hotel. And if she hasn’t, we’re giving him the option of flying back as quickly as possible on a private jet to be there for the birth."

Top-ranked players who are scheduled to play include Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick.

image: TSN