World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic have withdrawn from the National Bank Open in Montreal, prompting the tournament director to call for urgent changes to the ATP calendar.
Sinner, who defeated Alexander Zverev to claim his second Wimbledon title earlier this month, said the decision was made to prioritise his long-term health.
"After carefully considering all the factors together with my team, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw from Montreal," the Italian said in a statement. "It is never easy to miss such an important event, but we believe this is the right decision to prioritize my health."
Djokovic, 39, has also pulled out of the Masters 1000 event, which runs from 1-13 August. The Serbian has not publicly detailed his reasons, but his withdrawal follows a gruelling five-hour quarter-final victory over Félix Auger-Aliassime at Wimbledon earlier this month.
The absences mean that neither man will feature in Montreal for the second consecutive year — both also skipped the 2025 edition in Toronto. Carlos Alcaraz, the seven-time Grand Slam champion, remains sidelined with a wrist injury that forced him to miss the French Open and Wimbledon, leaving the men's draw depleted of its three biggest draws.
Alexander Zverev, the French Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up, becomes the top seed. Local hope Félix Auger-Aliassime is seeded second, making him the highest-seeded Canadian in the tournament's history.
Valérie Tétreault, the tournament director, did not hide her frustration.
"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," Tétreault said. "We respect their decisions, but we believe the frequency of these last-minute withdrawals in the last few years raises a broader issue for our sport. Masters 1000 events are among the flagship tournaments on the tour, and fans rightfully expect to see the world's best compete."
The Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open, another Masters 1000, now sit back-to-back in the calendar before the US Open begins on 30 August. Seven of the nine Masters 1000 events are now staged over 12 days, intensifying the physical burden on players.
Sinner and Djokovic could return at the Cincinnati Open, whose main draw starts on the same day the Montreal event concludes.
Sources
- https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/articles/cz641eng5l9o
- https://apnews.com/article/montreal-sinner-djokovic-2379860c09af38750e23f3d17430e622
