World No 2 Roger Federer has withdrawn from next month's Rogers Cup in Toronto as part of his ongoing strategy to lighten his schedule and conserve energy for the top events, tournament organisers said on Monday.
The decision by the 36-year-old Swiss, who was stunned in the final of last year's Rogers Cup in Montreal by German Alexander Zverev, comes less than two weeks after his quarter-final loss at Wimbledon.
"I had a fantastic time in Montreal last year and always enjoy playing in front of the Canadian fans, but unfortunately with scheduling being the key to my longevity moving forward, I have regrettably decided to withdraw from Toronto this year," Federer said in a statement issued by organisers.
"I wish the tournament every success and am sorry to miss it."
The August 4-12 Rogers Cup will include nine of the top 10 players on the ATP World Tour, including world number one and three-time champion Rafael Nadal and Wimbledon champion and four-time winner Novak Djokovic.
Schwartzman overcomes Norwegian teen in Hamburg opener
Second seed Diego Schwartzman recovered from a mid-match blip to beat Norwegian teenager Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in the opening round of the German Tennis Championships in Hamburg on Monday.
The 25-year-old Argentine, who reached the French Open quarter-finals last month, saved four break points in the final game to claim his 18th clay court match win of the season.
Schwartzman will take the result as a confidence booster having lost four of his previous five matches on Tour.
He will next face German qualifier Daniel Masur, who recorded his first Tour-level victory of the season by defeating Maximilian Marterer 6-3, 6-4.
Defending champion Leonardo Mayer looked impressive as he raced past Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 6-2 in 83 minutes.
Fourth seed Damir Dzumhur, ranked 24th, struggled with his serve and was broken four times in a shock 6-2, 6-4 defeat by Slovakian qualifier Jozef Kovalik.
It was Kovalik's highest-ranked win since he overcame then world number six Marin Cilic at Chennai in January last year.
