The Masters 1000 event in Montreal has lost eight top players before the tournament even begins on August 2. On the ATP side, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and Carlos Alcaraz will all be absent. On the WTA side in Toronto, Jasmine Paolini, Emma Raducanu, Karolina Muchova, and Victoria Mboko have also pulled out.
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Three different reasons for the ATP top three
Each absence tells a distinct story. Sinner, world number one and defending champion in Montreal, has chosen to rest after his triumphant Wimbledon campaign, where he retained his title against Alexander Zverev in four sets. The Italian is targeting Cincinnati for his return on August 10, meaning nearly a month without competitive play.
Djokovic, a twenty-four-time Grand Slam champion and five-time Canadian Open winner, is managing his season carefully. Eliminated in the Wimbledon semifinals by Sinner, the Serb prefers to preserve his body for Cincinnati and the US Open. At thirty-nine, every tournament removed from the schedule is a longevity calculation.
Alcaraz has not competed since withdrawing from the Barcelona Masters in April with a right wrist injury. The world number three continues his rehabilitation with a targeted return at Cincinnati on August 13, two weeks before the US Open.
The WTA draw takes a similar hit
The situation is equally concerning on the women's side in Toronto. Paolini, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, is managing a persistent foot injury. The Italian, who dropped out of the top 10 in late May, withdrew from both Washington and Toronto, explaining she needed to "give her foot extra time to rest."
Muchova, world number six and Wimbledon finalist just two weeks ago, underwent minor surgery that will keep her off court for several weeks. Raducanu, ranked thirty-seventh, is dealing with a stress fracture in her right leg sustained on the eve of Wimbledon. Mboko, the defending champion in Toronto and world number twelve, has not recovered from the knee injury she suffered at the Berlin tournament.
The calendar under fire
This wave of withdrawals reignites the debate over the compression of the professional calendar. The rapid transition from clay to grass to hard courts within a matter of weeks demands physical adjustments that push athletes to their limits. Top-ten players move from Roland-Garros through the grass-court season and into the North American swing without meaningful recovery time.
The result is a Masters 1000 event that loses much of its appeal. On the ATP side, Zverev is expected to be the top seed, while Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime will likely be seeded second, the highest ranking for a home player in the tournament's history.
What this means for the rest of the season
The Canadian Open becomes a tournament of opportunity. Without the world's three best players, the draw opens up for top-ten contenders such as Zverev, Auger-Aliassime, and Taylor Fritz. But the accumulation of withdrawals raises a fundamental question about the sustainability of a calendar that exhausts its biggest stars before the most important events of the season.
Key numbers
Eight major withdrawals across ATP and WTA, marking the first time in several years that the world's top three players will all miss a Masters 1000. Sinner remains unbeaten in Masters 1000 play in 2026 with thirty consecutive victories. Alcaraz has not played since April. Paolini has dropped from the top 10 to the top 15 since late May.
