The 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic and, Denis Shapovalov will not compete this year due to knee injuries.
Cilic rose to No. 3 in the rankings because of his Flushing Meadows win and runner-up finishes at Wimbledon in 2017 and the Australian Open in 2018. However, the Croatian has dropped to No. 121 this week after appearing in just two matches this year, none of which were Grand Slam tournaments.
Shapovalov has not played since July 9, when he was defeated by Roman Safiullin at Wimbledon in the fourth round. His best Grand Slam performance there two years earlier was reaching the quarterfinals.
In a social media statement on Wednesday, the Canadian stated that he had done all possible to be healthy for the Aug. 28 start of play, but that his knee needed more time.
“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!” he added, alongside an emoji of a broken heart.
Shapovalov’s best result in the US Open was in the quarterfinals in 2020. He is presently rated 22nd after reaching as high as No. 10.
South Korean Soonwoo Kwon and Hungary’s Attila Balazs advanced to the main draw.