Sinner and Djokovic withdraw from Montreal: National Bank Open loses its two biggest stars
Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic will not compete at this year's National Bank Open in Montreal, one of the most important tournaments of the North American hard-court swing. Tennis Canada confirmed their withdrawals on July 24, 2026, a little more than a week before the start of the main tournament. Qualifying at the IGA Stadium complex begins on August 1, the main draw starts on August 2, and the final matches are scheduled for August 13. The decisions of two of today's most recognizable players significantly alter the balance of power in Montreal, while at the same time reopening the debate about the calendar, the obligations of elite tennis players, and the protection of their health during the long season.
Sinner explained his withdrawal by saying that, after a successful appearance at Wimbledon, he needed to make a decision that would protect his health in the long term. According to Tennis Canada's statement, the Italian made the decision after discussions with his team and said that it had not been easy for him to miss an important tournament. At the time of the official announcement, Djokovic had not publicly stated a reason for his withdrawal. The organizers emphasized that they respected the decisions of both players, but did not hide their disappointment that two players attracting the greatest international attention had withdrawn from the originally announced field.
Sinner withdrew after defending his Wimbledon title
Sinner was not only expected to arrive in Montreal as the leading player in the ATP rankings, but also as the reigning Wimbledon champion. In the final played on July 12, he defeated Alexander Zverev in four sets, 6:7, 7:6, 6:3, 6:4, and defended his title on the London grass. The ATP states that this gave him the fifth Grand Slam title of his career, while his season before withdrawing from Montreal included a record of 44 wins and three losses, as well as six tournament titles. Such a record further illustrates how important his absence is for a tournament that had planned to build its late-summer showcase around the appearance of the world's top-ranked tennis player.
Only two weeks before the announcement of his withdrawal, the Italian had completed a demanding final stretch at Wimbledon. He defeated Djokovic in the semifinals and then played four sets against Zverev in the final. Although no specific injury was mentioned in the statement, Sinner highlighted his health and his team's assessment as the key reasons. The wording suggests preventive workload management rather than an officially confirmed new health problem. Such decisions are becoming increasingly common in professional tennis, especially during a period when players must quickly transition from grass to hard courts while also planning to reach peak form for the US Open.
Sinner has a strong connection with the Canadian Masters. He won his first title at a tournament of that category in Toronto in 2023, when the men's National Bank Open was held in that city. In his most recent appearance in Montreal, in 2024, he reached the quarterfinals, where he was defeated by Andrey Rublev. His announced return therefore carried both sporting and promotional value: the organizers expected the arrival of a player who had taken one of his key steps toward the top of world tennis in Canada. Instead, Sinner will use the period after Wimbledon to recover and prepare for his next appearances.
Djokovic offers no public explanation, but has left a major mark in Canada
Novak Djokovic was also on the initial entry list, but Tennis Canada did not provide a medical or other explanation for his decision. The Serbian tennis player, who turned 39 in May, reached the Wimbledon semifinals in July. His run ended there with a defeat to Sinner, who beat him in three sets. The absence of any additional explanation means it cannot be reliably claimed whether the reason was his physical condition, scheduling, preparation for the rest of the season, or a combination of several factors.
His withdrawal is especially significant because of his history of results at the Canadian tournament. Djokovic has won the National Bank Open four times, while the ATP lists him as the record holder with 40 Masters 1000 titles. He has won 24 Grand Slam titles in his career, so even at a stage when he is choosing his appearances more selectively, he remains one of the biggest attractions for spectators, television broadcasters, and sponsors. The organizers have therefore lost not only a potential title contender, but also a player whose participation regularly increases the event's global visibility.
This is not the first time Sinner and Djokovic have withdrawn from the Canadian Masters within a short period. Both also withdrew from the 2025 edition held in Toronto. At the time, Sinner again emphasized the need to prioritize his health, while Ben Shelton eventually won the tournament. The repetition of a similar scenario a year later is why Tennis Canada officials have now publicly stressed that they no longer view the problem merely as a series of individual decisions, but as an issue requiring discussions with the ATP.
Zverev first seed, Auger-Aliassime second
Following the withdrawals of Sinner and Djokovic, Alexander Zverev is expected to be installed as the top seed, while FĆ©lix Auger-Aliassime should receive the second-seed status. Tennis Canada emphasized that the official seeding still needs to be confirmed, but the current ATP rankings and the composition of the entry list point precisely to that order. Zverev is currently the world No. 2, while Auger-Aliassime is fourth. Carlos Alcaraz, ranked third, did not enter the tournament because of an injury, further opening up the top section of the field.
For Zverev, Montreal will be an opportunity to respond quickly after his defeat in the Wimbledon final. The German already knows what it is like to win the Canadian Masters: he captured the title in Montreal in 2017. In 2026, he also won his first Grand Slam trophy by triumphing at Roland Garros, before reaching the final in London. His status as the top seed therefore stems not only from the absences of his rivals, but also from a series of results that have kept him immediately behind Sinner in the world rankings.
Auger-Aliassime will face a different kind of pressure. He was born in Montreal and will be the highest-ranked Canadian player in the draw, while his expected position as the second seed will be the highest of his career at a Masters 1000 tournament. According to the organizers, his best result at the National Bank Open remains the quarterfinal he reached in 2022. He arrives in Montreal in 2026 after reaching the quarterfinals of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, making him one of the players with realistic ambitions of a deep run in front of a crowd that will give him strong support.
The tournament will nevertheless not be left without top names. Defending champion Ben Shelton remains in the field, along with former winners Daniil Medvedev and Pablo CarreƱo Busta, as well as Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev, and a number of players from the younger generation. The withdrawals of the biggest stars alter the event's commercial picture, but at the same time create more room for players who could receive a more favorable path through the draw under a different seeding arrangement. The final pairings are expected to be known after the draw ceremony scheduled for July 31.
Two more withdrawals and four new players in the main draw
Sinner and Djokovic are not the only players who have withdrawn from the main tournament. Tennis Canada announced that Czech player TomĆ”Å” MachĆ”Ä and American Sebastian Korda had also pulled out because of injuries. Their withdrawals, together with the decisions of the two great champions, allowed four players who had been below the direct-entry cutoff to enter the tournament. German Jan-Lennard Struff, Frenchman Valentin Royer, Hungarian MĆ”rton Fucsovics, and Australian James Duckworth have therefore moved into the main draw.
Such changes are not unusual immediately before major tournaments, because entry lists are compiled in advance while players' physical condition changes from week to week. However, when the world No. 1 and the Masters series record holder withdraw, the consequences are far broader than a technical change to the draw. Organizers must adjust their promotion, the scheduling of the most attractive time slots, and the expectations of spectators who bought tickets while the biggest names were still on the entry list. The National Bank Open clearly states in its ticketing rules that a ticket applies to a specific session rather than to the appearance of a particular player, but such a provision does not eliminate the disappointment of some spectators.
For the first time in the men's competition, the Montreal tournament is being held with a 96-player main draw in an expanded 12-day format. Qualifying begins on August 1, the main tournament starts the following day, and the singles and doubles finals are scheduled for August 13. According to the organizers' explanation, the expanded format should allow players a rest day between matches through the semifinals. The goal is to offer more matches to spectators while reducing the workload during the tournament itself, although the longer duration of Masters events also raises new questions about the overall density of the calendar.
Tennis Canada seeks discussions with the ATP
Montreal tournament director ValƩrie TƩtreault said that the organizers respected the decisions of Sinner and Djokovic and accepted that players' health had to be the priority. Nevertheless, she warned that the frequency of late withdrawals in recent years indicated a broader problem for professional tennis. According to her, Masters 1000 tournaments are among the most important events on the Tour, so spectators are justified in expecting the best players to participate. Tennis Canada has already begun discussions with the ATP and is seeking changes that, while acknowledging the workload faced by tennis players, would better protect the sporting and commercial integrity of these competitions.
Tennis Canada chief executive Gavin Ziv delivered a similar message. He emphasized that the national federation and tournament organizer had an obligation to represent the interests of the sport and the fans who support the event year after year. According to his statement, solutions are being considered with the ATP that would increase the participation of leading players at tournaments regarded as key and mandatory stops on the calendar. He did not specify what changes might be proposed, but said that the discussions so far had been open and that the organizers expected more concrete progress.
The debate is not simple because the interests of players, tournaments, and spectators do not always align. Leading tennis players want to retain the ability to manage their physical workload and choose periods of rest, particularly after Grand Slam tournaments. Tournaments, on the other hand, invest in organization and promotion while relying on entry lists that feature the biggest stars. Spectators often buy tickets months in advance, while television and commercial partners also assess the value of an event according to the quality of its field. Late withdrawals therefore create dissatisfaction even when they are medically justified.
The packed sequence of Montreal, Cincinnati, and the US Open
The tournament's position on the calendar further explains why the issue of recovery is so sensitive. Wimbledon ended on July 12, while the main tournament in Montreal begins on August 2. The Cincinnati Open, also a 96-player Masters 1000 event, begins on August 13, the same day the Montreal competition ends. The US Open in New York begins on August 30. Elite players therefore have to move from grass to hard courts, adjust their training, and decide how many tournaments to play before the final Grand Slam of the season, all within a period of less than two months.
The ATP calendar for 2026 includes nine Masters 1000 tournaments, seven of which are played in an expanded 12-day format. The idea behind this model is to increase the value of the tournaments, offer more days of competition, and provide more rest between matches. Critics, however, point out that longer events occupy a larger portion of the calendar and can limit the time available for training, recovery, and life away from tournaments. The withdrawals of Sinner and Djokovic do not in themselves prove that the format is the cause of the problem, but they do show that even a longer interval after Wimbledon does not guarantee the arrival of all the biggest names.
The next possible stop for Sinner and Djokovic could be Cincinnati, but as of July 25, their exact playing plans had not been officially confirmed. Both will have to take recovery, adaptation to hard courts, and preparation for the US Open into account when making their decisions. As the world's leading player, Sinner has different priorities from Djokovic, who is increasingly shaping his schedule around the Grand Slam tournaments at this later stage of his career. What they have in common is that they are making decisions during a season in which every additional week of competition can have consequences for the final part of the year.
A tournament of great tradition faces an unexpectedly open draw
The National Bank Open is one of the oldest tournaments in international tennis. The organizers describe it as the third-oldest title in the sport, behind Wimbledon and the US Open, while the men's and women's competitions alternate between Montreal and Toronto. In 2026, the men are playing in Montreal, while the women's WTA 1000 tournament is being held in Toronto. Precisely because of its tradition, Masters 1000 status, and strong spectator interest, the absence of Sinner and Djokovic carries greater weight than it would at a smaller tournament.
From a sporting perspective, their withdrawals create one of the most open draws in recent years. Zverev enters the tournament as the expected top seed and highest-ranked player, Auger-Aliassime receives an important opportunity in front of his hometown crowd, and Shelton will defend his title in a field without Sinner, Alcaraz, and Djokovic. For Medvedev, de Minaur, Fritz, and the other leading players, this means a more realistic chance of winning 1,000 points and one of the most valuable trophies outside the Grand Slam tournaments.
In the days leading up to the draw, the organizers will try to direct attention toward the players who are attending, but Tennis Canada's public response shows that the issue will not end with a simple change to the promotional materials. Discussions with the ATP could develop into a broader debate about participation rules, the structure of the calendar, bonuses, obligations, and the protection of players' health. Montreal, in the meantime, will prepare for the start of the competition without Sinner and Djokovic, with new favorites and with a question that remains open for the whole of professional tennis: how can the best players be kept at the biggest tournaments without ignoring the limits of their physical workload?
Sources:
- Tennis Canada ā official statement on the withdrawals of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, statements from the organizers, and changes to the main draw (link)
- ATP Tour ā confirmation of the withdrawals, data on results, and the players' status ahead of the tournament in Montreal (link)
- ATP Tour ā official ATP rankings used for the current positions of Sinner, Zverev, Alcaraz, Auger-Aliassime, and the other leading players (link)
- National Bank Open ā official information on the entered players, expanded draw, and announced seeds (link)
- National Bank Open ā explanation of the 12-day format, schedule, rest between matches, and ticketing rules (link)
- ATP Tour ā report on Sinner's successful defense of his Wimbledon title and victory over Alexander Zverev in the 2026 final (link)
- ATP Tour ā official calendar for 2026 and the dates of the tournaments in Montreal, Cincinnati, and New York (link)
- ATP Tour ā information on the withdrawals of Sinner and Djokovic from the 2025 edition of the National Bank Open in Toronto (link)