Montreal: Ana Ivanovic declined a wild card into the main draw of the Rogers Cup next week because of a dispute with the tournament director.
In a posting on her website, Ivanovic said her request for a wild card was turned down weeks ago. Tournament director Eugene Lapierre offered the Serb direct entry into the Montreal tournament on Tuesday, but she refused it.
Ivanovic, whose first major victory came in Montreal in 2006, said she declined because of comments made by Lapierre to a Montreal newspaper. Lapierre said the 62nd-ranked player didn't deserve a wild card and hoped to leave a spot open for a Canadian player.
"I would have loved to play Montreal but I was quite hurt by the comments of Mr. Lapierre," Ivanovic wrote.
The 2008 French Open winner added that even without a wild card, she would have been happy to play in the qualifying tournament "but I felt that they kind of stepped over the line with this interview, making public our correspondence and even misrepresenting it. Unfortunately, I don't feel welcome at the tournament."
Lapierre issued a statement saying the former No. 1 player was always welcome at the Rogers Cup.
On Thursday, Ivanovic advanced to the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Elena Vesnina of Russia.
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