"I am very sorry to pull out of the Western and Southern Open as I always enjoy playing," Federer said. "Cincinnati has some of the best fans in the world and I am sorry I will miss them. "Unfortunately, I tweaked my back in Montreal and I need to rest this week. "Nadal, who has spent 141 total weeks in the top spot, became world number one for the first time in August 2008 after a semi-final run at Cincinnati.For Federer to have taken the top spot at Cincinnati, he would have had to at least reach the semi-finals. Had Federer reached the final, Nadal would have had to win the title to stop the Swiss star from becoming number one.Federer will be replaced in the men's draw by Italian lucky loser Thomas Fabbiano, the world number 85 who will enjoy a first-round bye and face either Argentina's Diego Schwartzman or Russia's Karen Khachanov in the second round.

Source: Times of India August 14, 2017 16:25 UTC