World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic have both withdrawn from the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, the Masters 1000 event in Montreal that gets under way in the first days of August.
The tournament confirmed the news in an official statement on 24 July, days before the event was due to start. With the two former champions out, Alexander Zverev moves up to the No. 1 seed, while home favourite Félix Auger-Aliassime becomes the No. 2 seed.
For Sinner, the decision ends a shot at history. The Italian arrived at the North American hard-court swing with the chance to complete a clean sweep of all nine Masters 1000 titles in a single season; with Montreal off his schedule, that opportunity has gone.
Djokovic's absence deprives the Canadian event of one of its biggest draws, and Montreal will also be missing Carlos Alcaraz, sidelined through injury. Tournament director Valérie Tétreault did not hide her frustration at the late pull-outs. While stressing that player health must come first, she said the frequency of last-minute withdrawals raises a broader question for the sport.
"Masters 1000 events are among the most important tournaments and fans want to see the best players," she said. "We have already spoken to the ATP because we believe adjustments are needed to protect the tournaments, while of course taking the players and their difficulties into account."
With Sinner, Djokovic and Alcaraz all absent, the draw in Montreal takes on a different shape: Zverev leads the field as top seed and Auger-Aliassime carries home hopes as No. 2.
Sources
- https://www.tennisitaliano.it/sinner-e-djokovic-saltano-il-torneo-di-montreal-lannuncio-ufficiale/
- https://www.tennisitaliano.it/forfait-sinner-e-djokovic-montreal-risponde-servono-aggiustamenti-per-tutelare-i-tornei/
