Roger Federer has withdrawn from the Western and Southern Open citing a back problem. The world number three played in the Coupe Rogers final vs Alexander Zverev but looked to be struggling to move at times. The Swiss lost in straight sets to the German. Federer will be replaced by Lucky Loser Thomas Fabbiano. 

World Number One Implications

Due to his withdrawal, Rafael Nadal will take over world number one this week in Cincinnati and will be the top seed headed into the US Open. With Nadal opening up in the second round, he has an over 300 point lead on the Swiss after Federer lost in the Montreal final. Nadal's lead could bloom to over a thousand points should he win the title in Cincinnati. 

Draw Implications

The main draw on the men's side has thinned out considerably this year with the number of withdrawals. Federer's withdrawal means there are only four top-ten players in this tournament, joining the likes of Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic, and Kei Nishikori who have all withdrawn. 

Federer was seeded second in the tournament and no doubt that his side of the draw opens up massively. The likes of Jack Sock, Tomas Berdych, Juan Martin del Potro or Grigor Dimitrov to make it to a Masters 1000 semifinal. A dark horse who could make a run is Diego Schwartzman, who is coming off of a fantastic run in Montreal, making the quarterfinals. 

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About the author
Noel John Alberto
Filipino-American sports journalist from Toms River, NJ. UMBC Graduate and aspiring physical therapist. Tennis editor and multi-sport coordinator for VAVEL USA. Writer for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Serie A sections of VAVEL UK. Sports aficionado. Host of the On The Line tennis podcast.