Canadian Open Director Blames Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic’s ‘Last-Minute’ Withdrawals on ATP

At the moment, the three biggest names in the men’s circuit are Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. None of them will take part in this year’s Canadian Open, which is, in theory, a rather mandatory tournament in the ATP. This has gotten the Canadian Masters director, Valerie Tetreault, furious, blaming the ATP schedule for the three stars’ absence.

Alcaraz will not play the Canadian Open due to his injury. He’s yet to fully recover from the wrist problem he suffered in April at the Barcelona Open. However, Sinner and Djokovic were expected to compete at the tournament, but Tennis Canada confirmed their withdrawal on Friday (July 24), roughly one week before its start on August 1.

It is the second consecutive year that Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic will skip the ATP Masters 1000 tournament. Sinner had revealed after winning the Wimbledon Championships that he planned to play at the Canadian Open. But in his withdrawal statement, he didn’t cite a specific injury or health reason for pulling out of the tournament.

He has already won the first five Masters 1000 titles this year and would have added the Montreal title to his list of accomplishments if he had opted to compete.

Djokovic, meanwhile, has played just five tournaments this season, three of which have been Grand Slam events. The 39-year-old has prioritized major tournaments and has not played in the last three editions of the Canadian Open. The tournament director Tetreault had slammed the ATP schedule for the Sinner and Djokovic withdrawals, stressing that the tour schedule has become too demanding for players:

We are obviously very disappointed that Jannik and Novak won’t be joining us in Montreal this year, especially after they also withdrew from last year’s tournament in Toronto. We respect their decisions and understand that, with such a demanding schedule, players’ health must remain the priority. That said, we believe the frequency of these last-minute withdrawals in the last few years raises a broader issue for our sport.

With Alcaraz, Djokovic and Sinner not competing, Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Ben Shelton are now favorites to win the championship. Shelton won the tournament last year, with the runner-up, Karen Khachanov, defeating Zverev in the semi-finals. At this year’s edition, Zverev will be seen as the major favorite following his run at the French Open and Wimbledon.

Tennis Canada director says the ATP needs to make adjustments to its schedule

The ATP certainly won’t be happy with the situation at the Canadian Open, as Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz always attract fans to the stadium. Big names have always been the best way to get attention for a tournament. Also, the tournament expects big names to withdraw from the women’s singles.

However, the main reason for the withdrawals from the Canadian Open is that it comes before the Cincinnati Open and the US Open. In fact, the tournament ends the day that the Cincinnati Masters kick off, which is not suitable for top players. In the aforementioned statement, the tournament director stressed that there needs to be some adjustments to the schedule:

Masters 1000 events are among the flagship tournaments on the tour, and fans rightfully expect to see the world’s best compete. Tennis Canada is already in discussion with the ATP to ensure this matter receives serious consideration. We firmly believe adjustments are needed in the near future to better protect the integrity of our Masters 1000 events while remaining mindful of the realities players face.

Some analysts have questioned why the ATP plays some clay tournaments after the grass-court season. It has become a tradition that a 250-level tournament on clay will be played in July before the North American hard-court swing following Wimbledon. Should those tournaments be scrapped, it will create a less congested American hard-court season.

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