Roger Federer withdraws from the Rogers Cup with one eye on Rio

The Canadian Open is set to run from July 25 – 31, concluding just a week before the Olympic tennis tournament gets underway in Rio.

And 34-year-old Federer has followed the lead set by defending champion Andy Murray on Monday, citing fatigue following Wimbledon as the reason for his withdrawal.

Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer soon followed suit, both pulling out on Tuesday, but the Swiss star – who has reached the final of the event in five of the past 11 years – spoke of his sadness at having to withdraw from the tournament in a statement published on Facebook.

Murray beat Novak Djokovic in the final of the 2015 edition, with Federer losing out to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga the previous year.

Nadal cited fitness concerns as the reason for his decision to opt out of a Canadian Open appearance, but Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka are still currently scheduled to appear.

Federer and Murray in particular will be targeting the Rio Olympics, with the Scot looking to claim a second gold medal and Federer hoping to add to his haul of a silver from the London Olympics and gold from the Beijing Games in 2008.