Jannik Sinner won’t travel to Montreal for this year’s Canadian Open.
After winning Wimbledon, Sinner withdrew from the Canadian Open, passing up the opportunity to win all nine Masters 1000 titles in a calendar year.
Jannik Sinner forfeits his chance at Masters 1000 history… What do you make of this decision? 😬
Many have shared their thoughts on Sinner’s withdrawal, including Serena Williams’ former coach, Rick Macci, who has now suggested the effect it could have on his biggest rivals.
Rick Macci believes Jannik Sinner’s rivals will be more motivated now he’s withdrawn from the Canadian Open
Macci took to X to deliver his verdict on the news.
“Injuries and rest management are a big part of sport these days,” he said.
“When Carlos [Alcaraz] and Jannik [Sinner] are injured or need rest, the ripple effect on other players is a shot of extra motivation not to be on vacation, and they seem to heal quicker physically and mentally and ready to ball when those two are not in the draw.”
Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic are the three biggest names set to skip the Canadian Open this year.
That leaves Alexander Zverev as the top seed, ahead of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur.
Top eight seeds in Montreal
- 1. Alexander Zverev – ATP #2
- 2. Felix Auger-Aliassime – ATP #4
- 3. Alex de Minaur – ATP #5
- 4. Daniil Medvedev – ATP #8
- 5. Ben Shelton – ATP #6
- 6. Flavio Cobolli – ATP #9
- 7. Taylor Fritz – ATP #10
- 8. Alexander Bublik – ATP #11
Macci believes the eight names listed above, among others, received an ‘extra shot of motivation’ when Sinner and Alcaraz withdrew.
Interestingly enough, Sinner, Alcaraz, and Djokovic missed last year’s Canadian Open, as well…
Who won last year’s Canadian Open when the top players withdrew?
Alexander Zverev was the top seed in Toronto last year, looking to win his first Masters 1000 title since the 2024 Paris Masters.
Taylor Fritz was the second seed, Lorenzo Musetti was the third seed, and Ben Shelton was the fourth seed.
Musetti suffered an early exit at the hands of Alex Michelsen in round three, but the others made their way through to the quarter-finals without too much trouble.
2025 Canadian Open quarter-finals
- [1] Alexander Zverev defeated [18] Alexei Popyrin, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3
- [11] Karen Khachanov defeated [26] Alex Michelsen, 6-4, 7-6
- [4] Ben Shelton defeated [9] Alex de Minaur, 6-3, 6-4
- [2] Taylor Fritz defeated [6] Andrey Rublev, 6-3, 7-6
Zverev took down the defending champion Alexei Popyrin to reach the last four, while Shelton, Fritz, and Karen Khachanov completed the semi-final line-up with three straight-set wins.
Many expected Zverev and Fritz to defeat Khachanov and Shelton, but it wasn’t to be for the top two seeds.
Khachanov beat Zverev, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, and Shelton beat Fritz, 6-4, 6-3.
It was the first time a Russian had played an American in a Masters 1000 final since Daniil Medvedev defeated Reilly Opelka in Canada four years earlier.
Unfortunately for Khachanov, he couldn’t follow in his countryman’s footsteps, as Shelton lifted his maiden Masters 1000 title following a thrilling 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 win.
It remains to be seen if he will be the man to take advantage once again.
Only one player has won multiple Canadian Open titles since 2014
History tells us that Shelton may struggle in Montreal.
Since 2014, only one man, Rafael Nadal, has won multiple titles at the Canadian Open.
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
| 2014 | Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | Roger Federer | 7-5, 7-6 |
| 2015 | Andy Murray | Novak Djokovic | 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 |
| 2016 | Novak Djokovic | Kei Nishikori | 6-3, 7-5 |
| 2017 | Alexander Zverev | Roger Federer | 6-3, 6-4 |
| 2018 | Rafael Nadal | Stefanos Tsitsipas | 6-2, 7-6 |
| 2019 | Rafael Nadal | Daniil Medvedev | 6-3, 6-0 |
| 2021 | Daniil Medvedev | Reilly Opelka | 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2022 | Pablo Carreno Busta | Hubert Hurkacz | 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2023 | Jannik Sinner | Alex de Minaur | 6-4, 6-1 |
| 2024 | Alexei Popyrin | Andrey Rublev | 6-2, 6-4 |
| 2025 | Ben Shelton | Karen Khachanov | 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 |
The event has produced several surprise winners, including Popyrin (ATP #62) and Pablo Carreno Busta (ATP #23).
Several lower-ranked players will be keen to do the same at this year’s Canadian Open, where they know they won’t run into Alcaraz, Sinner, or Djokovic.
The 2026 Canadian Open main draw begins on Sunday, August 2.
