Changes called for as Sinner and Djokovic withdraw from Canadian Open
Canadian Open organisers have called for changes to tennis’s demanding calendar after Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic withdrew from the Montreal Masters 1000 event. Tournament director Valerie Tetreault said repeated late withdrawals undermine flagship tournaments and disappoint fans, while recognising that players’ health must take priority.
Sinner cited health concerns after winning Wimbledon, while Djokovic will also miss the event for the second consecutive year; Carlos Alcaraz remains out with a wrist injury. The Canadian Open runs from 2 to 13 August before Cincinnati and the US Open, amid wider concerns that seven of nine Masters 1000 events now last 12 days and the elite calendar spans 11 months.
- Sinner and Djokovic withdraw from the Canadian Open.
- Organisers want ATP calendar changes.
- Player health concerns intensify schedule debate.
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The Canadian Open in Montreal is one of professional tennis's most important tournaments, ranking just below the four Grand Slams in prestige. As a Masters 1000 event, it attracts the sport's elite players and is considered a key fixture in the annual calendar.
Jannik Sinner, one of tennis's top current players, and Novak Djokovic, a legendary champion, have both withdrawn from this year's event. Sinner is recovering after his Wimbledon victory, whilst Djokovic has now missed the tournament for two consecutive years. Carlos Alcaraz, another elite player, is also absent due to injury.
These withdrawals have drawn attention to the demands of professional tennis's schedule, which runs for 11 months with tournaments back-to-back. Seven of the nine Masters 1000 events now last 12 days each, giving players minimal time to rest between competitions.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Player health must take absolute precedence over tournament schedules, and the current calendar's punishing 11-month span makes some withdrawals inevitable and necessary. When elite players like Sinner withdraw after major exertions, they are making rational decisions to prevent career-threatening injuries rather than indulging caprice. Forcing competitors to play whilst injured or exhausted would ultimately harm everyone—the players, the sport's quality, and the tournaments themselves.
The case against
The core issue is not individual withdrawals but a fundamentally unsustainable calendar structure that makes late withdrawals endemic and predictable. With seven of nine Masters 1000 events lasting 12 days, reform should focus on restructuring the calendar itself—shortening certain events, clustering tournaments strategically, or creating genuine rest periods—rather than accepting chronic late withdrawals as inevitable. Better scheduling could protect player health while restoring the reliability and integrity that tournaments and fans deserve.