Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic will both miss the upcoming Canadian Open in Montreal.
Two of the biggest names in men’s tennis will skip the Masters 1000 event, as will Carlos Alcaraz, who continues to recover from his wrist injury.
Jannik Sinner forfeits his chance at Masters 1000 history… What do you make of this decision? 😬
With three Grand Slam-winning stars out of the picture, who will step up in their absence?
Here are five players who will fancy their chances of winning the Canadian Open title.
Five players who have the most to gain from the big-name Canadian Open withdrawals
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Canada’s brightest star, Felix Auger-Aliassime, has never won a Masters 1000 title, but may never have a better opportunity than this.
The 25-year-old is in good form and will compete as the third seed in Canada in front of his adoring home fans.
Felix Auger-Aliassime’s last five tournament results
| Tournament | Performance | Match wins | Defeat |
| Hamburg Open | Second round | 1 (Vit Kopriva) | Aleksandar Kovacevic |
| French Open | Quarter-final | 4 (Daniel Altmaier, Roman Andres Burruchaga, Brandon Nakashima, Alejandro Tabilo) | Flavio Cobolli |
| Libema Open | Quarter-final | 1 (Marton Fucsovics) | Kamil Majchrzak |
| Halle Open | Quarter-final | 2 (Nuno Borges, Learner Tien) | Frances Tiafoe |
| Wimbledon | Quarter-final | 4 (Alexander Shevchenko, Dino Prizmic, Michael Zheng, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina) | Novak Djokovic |
And with two of the top three (Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz) and the man who last beat him (Novak Djokovic) skipping the tournament, there is no reason why Auger-Aliassime can’t rise to the occasion.
The world number four has the game to trouble anyone on tour, especially those he will meet in a ‘weakened’ field in Montreal.
However, there are question marks over how Auger-Aliassime will cope without his coach Frederic Fontang, following their recent split.
But if he plays as well as we know he can, the home favourite could very well be the man to win the 2026 Canadian Open.
Alexander Zverev
When Sinner missed several months of the 2025 season due to suspension, many looked to Alexander Zverev to take advantage, but he failed to do so.
A year on, when Alcaraz was on the sidelines, Zverev made the most of his opportunity, claiming his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.
The German has been remarkably consistent at the ‘big’ tournaments in 2026, although he still hasn’t won a Masters 1000 event since 2024.
Alexander Zverev’s record at ‘big’ tournaments in 2026
- Australian Open – Semi-final
- Indian Wells – Semi-final
- Miami Open – Semi-final
- Monte Carlo Masters – Semi-final
- Madrid Open – Final
- Italian Open – Fourth round
- French Open – Champion
- Wimbledon – Final
With his three main rivals missing in Montreal, Zverev will be keen to end that trophy drought by winning the Canadian Open.
Ben Shelton
When Sinner, Alcaraz, and Djokovic missed last year’s Canadian Open, it was Ben Shelton who rose to the occasion.
The young American won his first Masters 1000 title in style, defeating Karen Khachanov in a thriller to take victory.
Shelton hasn’t taken the next step many expected since winning in Toronto, and would be at risk of dropping out of the top 10 if he were to fail to defend his Canadian Open title this year.
He was particularly disappointing at Wimbledon last time around, losing in the first round having been tipped to make a deep run at the All England Club.
Shelton must bounce back in Canada, and seeing some of his main rivals withdraw has certainly boosted his chances.
Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev has returned to form in 2026, although he still has some way to go before he can be taken seriously as a Grand Slam contender again.
The Russian hasn’t won a Masters 1000 title since May 2023, and hasn’t reached the quarter-finals of any of the last seven Grand Slam events he’s entered.
Daniil Medvedev’s last seven Grand Slam results
- 2025 Australian Open – Second round
- 2025 French Open – First round
- 2025 Wimbledon – First round
- 2025 US Open – First round
- 2026 Australian Open – Fourth round
- 2026 French Open – First round
- 2026 Wimbledon – Third round
What he needs, arguably more so than anyone else on the ATP Tour, is a marquee win.
Medvedev is a former champion in Canada, beating Reilly Opelka to the 2021 title, and may well be in with a chance of doubling his tally this year.
Arthur Fils
Who knows where Arthur Fils would be right now if he hadn’t dealt with so many injuries?
The talented Frenchman has shown his potential time and time again, but just when he starts to find form, he suffers another injury setback.
After reaching two Masters 1000 semi-finals and winning the Barcelona Open earlier this year, Fils was forced to miss his home French Open and barely made it back in time for Wimbledon.
Now he’s back fit, Fils will look to re-establish himself as one of the best players on tour.
The 22-year-old hasn’t won a Masters 1000 title before, but you feel it’s a matter of when, not if.
And with Alcaraz, Sinner, and Djokovic all skipping Montreal, it may not be long before he gets his hands on the Canadian Open trophy.
The 2026 Canadian Open main draw begins on Sunday, August 2.
