ATP Canadian Open withdrawal list: Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic join growing list of absentees
Jannik Sinner will not become the first player in tennis history to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles in the same season after the world No 1 confirmed he will not play in next month’s Canadian Open.
Sinner has been in dominant form in the opening Masters 1000 events of 2026, winning at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome.
His win in Rome ensured he became on the second man alongside Novak Djokovic to win all nine Masters 1000 titles, but clinching a clean sweep in a calendar year would have been a remarkable achievement.
Sinner would have been the red-hot favourite to win in Montreal, but he confirmed he would not compete with a statement released by the ATP.
“After carefully considering all the factors together with my team, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw from Montreal,” Sinner said.
More Tennis News
Richard Krajicek predicts how long Sinner, Alcaraz & Zverev will remain the top 3 in men’s tennis
“It is never easy to miss such an important event, but we believe this is the right decision to prioritise my health. I’m disappointed not to be there, but I look forward to returning to Montreal in the future.”
Djokovic has also confirmed he will not compete in Canada, but that is not a surprise as the 39-year-old has been playing a reduced schedule for some time and has not played in Canada since 2018.
“We are obviously very disappointed that Jannik and Novak won’t be joining us in Montréal 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,” said Valérie Tétreault, Tournament Director of the National Bank Open in Montreal.
“That said, 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. We are already in discussions 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.”
The Canadian Open is becoming a tournament players are skipping after the hectic burst of action at the back end of the European clay court season and the grass court run of tournaments that follow.
Players like Sinner and Djokovic are taking this month off to try and refresh ahead of the US Open, with the Canadian Open being diluted as an event to a point where it is struggling to maintain credibility as a Masters 1000 event.
Canadian Open organisers accept they are facing a challenge to maintain the tournament’s image, with Gavin Ziv, Chief Executive Officer of Tennis Canada, offering this comment after the expected withdrawals of Sinner and Djokovic.
“As a national federation and the organizer of an ATP Masters 1000 tournament, we have a responsibility to advocate for the interests of tennis and the fans who support our event year after year,” said Ziv.
“We have already opened a dialogue with the ATP to explore solutions that would maximise the participation of the world’s top players in mandatory events. We are encouraged by the openness shown so far and hope these discussions will lead to concrete changes in the near future.”
Alexander Zverev is now set to be top seed in Canada, with local hero Felix Auger-Aliassime No 2 seed and defending champion Ben Shelton at No 3.
Carlos Alcaraz has already confirmed he is out of the Canadian Open and the story is not much better in the women’s draw, with Emma Raducanu joined by Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Muchova, defending champion and local her Victoria Mboko and Italy’s Jasmine Paolini all out of the draw.
