MONTREAL - Organizers of the Rogers Cup tennis tournament said Wednesday they are keeping their fingers crossed Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will be able to play next month in Montreal.
Nadal's chances of appearing at the Aug. 8-16 event are good despite the Spaniard's knee injury which prevented him from playing at Wimbledon, tournament director Eugene Lapierre told a news conference.
Lapierre said he received word from Nadal's entourage this week that the defending champion will be ready for Montreal.
"When he decided not to play Wimbledon, I contacted his spokesperson," Lapierre said. "I saw a rumour that he was going to be off until the U.S. Open.
"He (the spokesman) responded to me right away. `This is complete nonsense. We will see you in Montreal.' His answer was as short as that."
And Lapierre said the same spokesman was back in touch this week to say Nadal's handlers were insisting the world's second-ranked player would be in Montreal.
But the news regarding his great rival Federer was not as clear.
His spouse Mirka is scheduled to give birth just as the tournament gets going and the Swiss superstar hasn't indicated yet whether he will be at the event.
"I'll tell you that right after Wimbledon, I was maybe a bit pessimistic," Lapierre said. "I told myself it would be difficult with the birth and with the fact he had just accomplished everything he had set out to (win the French Open and Wimbledon to give him a record 15 Grand Slam titles).
"But then I heard him say he was going to take five weeks of rest, which would take us up exactly to the beginning of the tournament. On his Internet site, he said he expects to play the Rogers Cup. And he also said he wants to keep playing and remain the world's No. 1. To do that, he has to keep winning and do well at the U.S. Open. And to do well at the U.S. Open he has to play events beforehand."
Lapierre said organizers are pulling out all the stops to lure Federer.
"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.
Canada's Frank Dancevic and Peter Polansky have been given spots in the main draw.