The five Canadian Open favourites following Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic’s withdrawals

Liam McMillen 25 Jul 2026 10:00 AM

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic with the Australian Open trophy

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic have left a gaping hole in the Canadian Open entry list as they have decided not to play the Masters event yet again.

Along with Carlos Alcaraz, the Masters 1000 tournament is now looking particularly devoid of star power as the North American hardcourt swing begins.

Just seven of the top 10 will be playing the event now, giving some of the potential challengers a massive opportunity to claim a major title and 1000 ranking points.

Here are five players who now have a real opportunity to win the Canadian Open.

Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev has truly stepped up in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz and he now has the opportunity to claim yet another top prize this season.

Zverev won his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros and followed it up by reaching the final of Wimbledon for the first time in his career.

The German has hit peak form in the absence of Alcaraz and he will now be the favourite to lift the Canadian Open title in the absence of Djokovic and Sinner.

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Zverev hasn’t won the Canadian Open for nine years, since he lifted the Masters title in 2017. That year saw him beat the likes of Roger Federer, Nick Kyrgios, and Richard Gasquet.

He will likely have a much easier route to the title in 2026 and if he does win he will be able to make yet more ground up on Sinner in the World No 1 spot in the ATP Tour rankings.

Felix Auger-Aliassime

Felix Auger-Aliassime has never played his best tennis at the Canadian Open, but he will never get a better chance to earn his first-ever title on home soil.

The Canadian has reached the quarter-finals of the tournament just once in his seven appearances, suffering exits in the third round or earlier in the other six.

However, Auger-Aliassime has proved himself an exceptional hardcourt player over the years and no one will want to come up against him in Montreal.

His semi final appearance at the US Open last year is proof he can perform on the biggest hardcourt stages and he might just have the perfect chance to claim the first Masters title of his career.

Taylor Fritz

Taylor Fritz looked one of the clear favourites to step up in the absence of Alcaraz, but that failed to materialise at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

The American was beaten in the first round of Roland Garros and then was comfortably dispatched by Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon quarter finals.

Nevertheless, Fritz showed impressive form on the grass court swing, in Stuttgart and Halle, and he will be hoping to hit the ground running of the North American hardcourt swing.

The only worry for Fritz is he failed to capitalise on this exact opportunity at the Canadian Open last year. He dropped out of the semi finals in a year where Alcaraz, Djokovic, and Sinner didn’t play.

Could he have learnt from his mistake this time around?

Ben Shelton

Ben Shelton will be seething from his Wimbledon first round exit, particularly as he entered the grass court event in sublime form before SW19.

The American has plenty of pressure on him at the Canadian Open, as the defending champion, but he has all the tools to lift the title once again.

His power game works perfectly for the hardcourt swing and there are not many on the Tour who can deal with his big weapons, particularly without Djokovic, Sinner, and Alcaraz.

Shelton now has the perfect opportunity to become the first back-to-back champion at the Canadian Open since Rafael Nadal lifted consecutive titles in 2018 and 2019.