Jannik Sinner Withdraws: Andy Murray Had Warned Everyone Some Time Ago
For the second consecutive year, the Masters 1000 in Canada will be without Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic—the three players currently considered the most prominent on the ATP Tour. This year, both Sinner and Djokovic—fresh off their Wimbledon campaigns—have decided to extend their break, while Alcaraz had to withdraw due to his well-known wrist injury. These withdrawals have cast doubt on the current schedule and the decision to extend the Masters 1000 tournaments to two weeks, a move that is proving to be a double-edged sword.
Scottish tennis legend Andy Murray highlighted the issues clearly in an interview during the Madrid Masters 1000: “It’s not mandatory to play those tournaments. Everyone says the schedule is very long, and in fact it is. The season is definitely demanding. And now, with tournaments lasting two weeks, it’s even more so. But you always have the option to choose not to play.”
“Sure, you might lose a few ranking points or forgo the bonus pool. But it’s a choice: either you say, ‘I don’t want to play,’ or you decide to do it because, from a financial standpoint, it’s the best option for you. Players have the option to opt out, and it’s not like anything really serious happens—it’s not like you get suspended and barred from playing in subsequent tournaments. You’re simply given a zero for ranking purposes. It’s not a big deal.”
In Sinner’s specific case, the decision to skip Montreal came after careful consideration with his team. The world No. 1 himself wanted to publicly explain his reasons: “After carefully evaluating all the factors together with my team, we made the difficult decision to withdraw from Montreal. It’s never easy to skip such an important event, but we believe this is the right decision to prioritize my health. I’m sorry I won’t be able to attend, but I look forward to returning to Montreal in the future.”
The reaction from the organizers of the Canadian tournament was swift, and director Valérie Tétreault responded as follows: “We are obviously very disappointed that Jannik and Novak will not be joining us in Montreal this year, especially since they also withdrew from last year’s tournament in Toronto. The frequency of these last-minute withdrawals in recent years raises a broader issue for our sport. The Masters 1000 tournaments are among the most important on the circuit, and fans rightly expect to see the world’s best players compete.”
