Federer out of Cincinnati with bad back; Nadal to be No 1

Roger Federer of Switzerland serves against Alexander Zverev of Germany (not pictured) during the men's final at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament at Uniprix Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Aug 13, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

MASON, Ohio — Wimbledon champion Roger Federer withdrew from the Western & Southern Open on Monday because of a back injury. He has won the Masters series tournament seven times.

The move was announced on the first full day of matches. This US Open warmup has now lost five of the top six players in the men's rankings.

Federer, a 19-time major champion, said in a statement he "tweaked" his back last week at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, where he lost Sunday's final to Alexander Zverev.

The Swiss star, ranked No 3, is sidelined along with No 1 Andy Murray, No 4 Stan Wawrinka, No 5 Novak Djokovic and No 6 Marin Cilic, the defending champion. Only No 2 Rafael Nadal, the top-seeded player, remains in the draw.

Tournament officials tweeted that 21st-ranked Gael Monfils also is out because of an undisclosed illness. All the missing players except Cilic are 30 or older.

"It's just coincidence," said Nadal, 31. "We're not 20 years old any more. We're not playing all the weeks. It's part of our sport. I've been in their position lots of times. I've missed more events than the other players. It's part of the game. I wish them all a speedy recovery. We need them in the game. I hope they get back soon."Federer's withdrawal means Nadal, who lost in the third round at Montreal, will return to No 1 when new ATP rankings are released Aug. 21. The Spaniard will be No. 1 for the first time since July 6, 2014.