Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic have both withdrawn from the Canadian Open, leaving the tournament once again without its two biggest stars.
This naturally severely weakens the draw, but will provide a golden opportunity for another surprise and potential first-time Masters 1000 champion, just like Ben Shelton in 2025.
For many, this is a decision that will baffle many tennis fans, with Sinner on the cusp of history.
However, he has now issued a statement to try and justify this move, released by the tournament, which makes his absence all the more disappointing.
Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic both withdraw from the Canadian Open
Jannik Sinner was a champion in Toronto back in 2023, which marked his first at the Masters 1000 level.
He has since gone on to claim nine more, and all of those available in 2026 so far.
However, the Italian also did opt out of the Canadian Open last year, making this far from the most surprising decision ever.
Jannik Sinner forfeits his chance at Masters 1000 history… What do you make of this decision? 😬
In a statement released by Tennis Canada, Sinner stated: “After carefully considering all the factors together with my team, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw from Montreal.
“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.”
The new ATP top five seeds at the Canadian Open
With Sinner and Novak Djokovic now joining Carlos Alcaraz on the list of big-name casualties, the men’s side of the Canadian Open now looks barren.
However, as aforementioned, opportunity beckons for a lesser-known star.
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This trio of absent superstars would have been the number one, three and five seeds in Toronto this year, and so there will be a host of new top seeds this time around.
Alexander Zverev, fresh from winning Roland Garros and reaching the final at Wimbledon, will deservedly be the new top seed.
This will make hometown hero Félix Auger-Aliassime the number two, Alex de Minaur third, Daniil Medvedev fourth and the defending champion Shelton in fifth.
